State education chief “on Republicans’ radar” lays out game plan to eliminate Cabinet department

EXCLUSIVE – As President-elect Donald Trump privately discusses his Cabinet choices, a top state official rumored to be on the short list for education secretary is releasing his plan to shift the department's responsibilities to states and parents, Fox News Digital has learned.

In a memo to Oklahoma parents and school administrators, Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's superintendent of public instruction, said the federal agency “has hijacked our education system with taxpayer dollars to enforce harmful policies and control what is taught in our schools.”

Walters said he raises some issues both in the memo and in what he calls the Trump Education Advisory Team, which will be announced Monday.

The Department of Education is a relatively new, stand-alone Cabinet agency created under former President Jimmy Carter and dissolved by his successor Ronald Reagan during his 1982 State of the Union address.

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The principles include ending “social indoctrination” in the classroom and promoting patriotism through the curriculum.

In an interview Friday, Walters said the team will set priorities for schools that are consistent with the Trump administration's education policies based on what the president-elect has announced in that regard.

Facing the prospect of a shuttered Education Department, Walters said he would plan how to fill any gaps left by federal programs and develop legislative recommendations.

At an October rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Trump said he would “close the Department of Education and move education back to the states.”

“And we will do it quickly. We’re going to get someone great.” [as secretary].” He named former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who accompanied him, and Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

According to Education Week, Walters remains “on Republicans’ radar” in this regard.

He said Friday that Democrats have failed to challenge Trump on education policy, likely because his positions have already resonated with the American public, alluding to recent school controversies in Virginia and elsewhere.

“We will be the spearhead in implementing President Trump’s agenda. This is to ensure that we are fully aligned with the most aggressive, comprehensive and conservative education agenda the country has ever seen,” he said.

Walters said he is confident that Trump will follow through and close the agency and that it will lead to higher student readiness, less burdened by bureaucracy, state layoffs and social policy mandates.

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“I mean, President Biden came out in the middle of the summer and told us we had to put boys in girls' bathrooms,” he said.

Regardless of whether Trump ultimately chooses him, Walters said he will remain focused on aligning Oklahoma with Trump policies and creating a roadmap for other states.

Improving education goes well beyond the curriculum and will have a lasting impact on the economy, jobs and more, he added.

“Parents wanted to hear that … our schools are not there to tell our children that this is an evil, racist country and to build this indoctrination,” he said. “We want to support families and school choice.”

The transition plan he has drawn up also shows how the education system can continue to operate without the influence of teachers' unions that comes with the current top-down system.

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The Department of Education building in Washington, DC (Erin Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

He said that American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten showed his picture after Trump's on a screen during a recent union convention and that his reaction was the “final victory” of the school choice candidates on Tuesday.

“It’s just so exciting to see this agenda come to fruition,” he said.

In the current Congress, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., also authored a bill to abolish the Department of Education. It was referred and remains in committee.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump campaign for information about the Cabinet shortlist and to the Department of Education for a response about Walters' plans. A representative for the latter referred Fox News Digital to the Trump campaign.