This is later with Lee Matthews the Lee Matthews Podcast War What You Hear weekday
Afternoons on the Drive. Been looking forward to this for a long time.
Exclusive interview with State Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters on the Drive. Superintendent,
I've got a lot to talk to you about, but let's start with the
latest headline and the bill for about half a million dollars that you turned into
the Middale School District. Yeah, you know, Middelle Public Schools spent five
hundred thousand dollars on athletic lawn care, which is prohibited directly in statue.
And so we made the school aware that we're not going to allow taxpayer dollars
to be spent illegally. So we are clawed those dollars back and we're going
to make sure that Middell is held accountable for misusing taxpayer dollars. We're not
going to allow it on our walks. Already, the critics have been saying,
you're denying school children the funds that are necessary for their education. Yeah,
let me be clear. Middell Public Schools did that. They took money
was supposed to go to COVID recovery that were supposed to go for kids trying
to get back to the classroom, was supposed to go help the teachers who
were trying to help learning loss. They took that and decided to spend it
illegally on a lawn, a lawn career. So they did that, and
that's why it's so important to hold districts accountable. We have a record investment
in education in Oklahoma. Money needs to be getting in the classroom. The
problem isn't, frankly, more money, it's that money's not getting spent correctly.
And so we're going to continue to make sure that we're old districts accountable
to make sure money gets to the classroom, gets to the teachers, and
gets to the kids. Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters is with us. I
want to offer my congratulations. By the way, the turnaround of the Tulsa
Public Schools system and then the other one hundred and fifteen schools that got off
the National Naughty List was remarkable. I know you were working hard at turning
those around, but I didn't expect, even as a supporter, for them
to turn around as quickly as they did. Well, Leah, I really
appreciate that. I mean, you know, we're working hard and we've told
the districts guys, we can do better for kids. You know, I
think we've had a lot of the status quo complacency that's set in across the
state. You know, hey, I said, the superintendent from Tulsa need
to go. She had to go. She was a poster child of the
status quo left wing liberals who thought kids were victims, who didn't believe the
kids could learn. And you know what, we got a good superintendent over
there. We lit a fire into that district and what do you know,
they're gonna have some of the biggest academic growth they've had in decades. They
got sixteen schools off the F list. They're rocking and roll, and they
introduced merit pay. I mean when you ever thought that lead that Tulsa Public
Schools wuld introduce merit pay? And what do you know, those great teachers
have helped student learning at a record pace. Same thing for the one hundred
and fifteen schools coming off the F list. We came in and I'm looking
at these F schools and I'm talking to the team over there, and well,
you know, we give them more money, and you know, they
stay on there for about three years, and we go, guys, the
goal is to get them off. Okay, the goal is to get schools
off the F list and fix what the problems are and then go help continue
to improve. So I was crystal clear, guys, we're gonna get you
off this list. You are gonna do things. You're gonna focus on student
outcomes. You're gonna really take a critical look at yourself and see what we
can do better. And so hey, we have been very, very thrilled
to see the success of those schools moving off the F list and TPS.
I'm telling you they have had record student tutoring programs. They launched the biggest
suitoring program of any school in the state. They're doing a huge summer school
program. We're not just through at the end of this year. Their summer
school program is going to be tremendous. We've been working with them on that.
This fall, they are starting a whole new personal development for team that's
gonna be laser focused on standards and ensuring the outcomes there. So this is
a turnaround this gi just from beginning in till to we are going to get
them back on trap. Well, you're well on your way to doing that
and not also not been spared your your share of critics, especially the latest
report. I don't remember if it was last week or week before pointing out
that Oklahoma tops the list of underpaying teachers, I immediately Ryan Walters pointed out
that the study did not take into account cost of living, So when you
adjust for cost of living, Oklahoma is not doing bad. No. Look,
we're a great player neighboring states. Dude. We also give teachers a
pathway to make up the six figures and stay in the classroom. We have
a Teacher Empowerment Act that we've been touting that. Again, I was bragging
on Tulsa for doing it. Hey, look, you can work your way
up and make up the six figures and stay in the classroom here if you're
one of our top ten person teachers. So not only have you teacher pay,
We're saying, listen, we believe in the free market here in Oklahoma.
So when you do a great job, we're going to incentivize you about
pay an you better. I mean, I mean crazy thought, right,
I'm mean it works in every other three We're going to do it here.
And again we are recruiting some of the best pro brightest teachers around the country
with our teacher signing bonus that brought five hundred teachers back to the classroom last
year, and we're going to continue to do that work because look, we
want high quality individuals in the classroom, and we are absolutely recruiting those folks
to Oklahoma. Superintendent of Public Schools Ryan Walter is joining us on the drive.
The other thing that I've particularly talked about, and not just with your
administration, but with previous administrations that I don't see any attention to, and
maybe you can speak about it, the reduction in the vast amount of administration
we have statewide. And if that means consolidation for me, so be it.
But what are your thoughts? Yes, I mean that we need less
administrators, we need less bureaucracy, and we need more money getting to the
classroom. And so a lot of the things we try to lead by example.
We we didn't left activists in the agency, and we also wanted to
lessen our footprint because guess what, the if you are administrators and bureaucrats that
we hire, the more I can put money into tutoring programs, tea professional
training. We told districts the same thing. Cut these administrative costs. That's
why we're requiring more financial controls on districts. We want to see more transparency.
We want to see more money getting into the classroom. I told districts,
I think over this isn't a big ask, but I think over sixty
percent of your funds should go in the classroom. They should go to expenses
with teacher pay. They should go to the material students see in the classroom.
Right now, we're about fifty three percent of every dollar gets to the
classroom. That's unacceptable. We should have less administrators, more of the investment
taxpayers are making. Look, Oklahoma, taxpayers, we invested in education for
our kids, not a bunch of bureaucrats to have jobs. Okay, So
that money needs to get to the classroom, and we're going to continue to
push for financial accountability on districts to make sure that is where they're spending their
money. Superintendent of Public Schools, I'm sorry, yeah, Superintendent public Schools,
Ryan Walters, you got into education because you wanted to educate kids.
A lot of teachers don't get into education for that reason. What do you
think the best way to attract teachers that want to be there to educate kids.
Yeah, you know, I've been very clear publicly on this. So
look, if you're a social justice warrior and you think you're going to get
into our classroom and convince kids in America's an evil, racist country and that
there's eighty four genders, hey, keep moving on to another state or another
profession. You're not going to teach in our schools. We don't. That's
not Oklahoma values, that's not what education looks like. That's in doctrination.
So a couple of things we've done is we've been crystal clear we are recruiting
people who have traditional Oklahoma values. That's who we want in our classroom.
We're going to focus on the basics. We're not going to have indoctrination in
the classroom. We're not going to allow it. We're also going to bring
back here's a good one lee discipline to the classroom. I talked to so
many cheers that talk about the breakdown of discipline in the classroom. We've got
to make sure that we want to get into the profession. So the more
that and I'm gonna tell you the other thing, we continue to offer teachers
alternative pathways to get in his class room. Look, our higher end institutions
have gone woke. You've got a bunch of left wing activists masquerading as college
professors. And you know what, if we've got a guy that's a local
banker who says, hey, I'd like to teach financial literacy at our school,
well we're gonna help him get a certification to go do it. We're
not gonna go, hey, go back to a higher ED institution, get
another degree from a bunch of higher ed Marxist and then we'll let you come
back. No, those are people with real world experience that can have a
tremendous impact on our kids. We want to help them get to the classroom.
So we love people with real world experience want to get to the classroom.
So we've opened up alternative pathways. We now allow adjunct teachers in the
classroom and K twelve institutions, And boy, every time I go to districts,
I hear a great story about You're not gonna believe that we found this
individual. They applied, they have a different type of background, and boy,
they love it. The kids love them. They're doing great. So
we're going to keep going around higher ED two to make sure that we're getting
folks from all different kinds of backgrounds into the classroom. Ran Walters, If
I may ask a kind of a personally personal slanted question, You've had to
take a lot of arrows since you took office. How you're holding up?
Hey, Look, when I take arrows from far left wing activists, it
just tells me I'm over the target. It just further encourages me that we're
doing the right thing. I mean, listen, for far too long,
we've allowed a bunch of radical union activists to come in and bully Republicans.
I mean, it's ridiculous to me. I'm going so, you guys are
going to go back home to a bunch of to the teachers Union that are
pushing radical gender theory. They're fighting parents rights. Remember our teachers unions,
our school board associations, they lobbied the Biden administration to label parents domestic terrorists
and investigate them. And we're going to back down to those groups. Absolutely
not. The more that I take arrows from the teachers Union, the more
that I know that I'm on the right track. I'm always going to defend
parents. I'm always going to do what's best for Oklahoma students, and I
will never back down to a woke mob. You know these I've got these
national LGBTQ plus groups coming after me, Joe Biden, the federal government coming
after me, the teachers Union. Hey, all those folks right there.
Absolutely those folks are trying to fundamentally undermine our country, fundamentally undermine our families,
fundamentally attack our faith. So I'm going to stand in a way every
chance I get to keep them out of our classrooms and keep them from destroying
our families. Superintendent of Public Education, Ryan Walters, I'm so glad you
carved out some time for us today. Have been aching to speak with you
about some of these issues, and all I can say is is keep on
keeping on, keep the fight going. Lee. Hey, I appreciate you
very much, love to come back on. I appreciate what you're doing.
Thank you for being such a voice for common sense, and thank you very
much for the epising to be on faith. Thanks for listening to Later with
Lee Matthews, the Lee Matthews Podcast, and remember to listen to The Drive
Live weekday afternoons from five to seven and iHeartMedia Presentation