Teachers unions have declared war on good teachers — it’s time we fight back

As former state superintendent of Oklahoma, I’ve seen what happens when teachers put students first instead of politics. The unions come after them.

Good educators get harassed, pushed aside, even forced out of the classroom — not because they failed their students, but because they refused to follow the union’s radical agenda.

Unions once claimed to represent teachers. That’s over. They’ve turned into political machines, more interested in power than in kids. Parents who ask questions are attacked. Teachers who think for themselves are punished. Students are treated as pawns in an ideological fight.

That’s why I’m stepping in as the incoming CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a new organization launched by the Freedom Foundation to address the gaps they saw in educator support across the country. Our mission is simple: stand with teachers, empower parents and put students first.

In Oklahoma, I have seen firsthand how unions protect their loyalists while punishing independent voices. Teachers who toe the line are rewarded. Teachers who speak out face isolation and career sabotage. That isn’t support — it’s control. And what’s the result? Decades of union dominance, yet student achievement flatlines. Parents get locked out of their children’s education. Teachers feel trapped between doing right by their students and keeping their jobs.

We have shown here in Oklahoma that it doesn’t have to be this way. We reformed our schools, gave parents a voice, and pushed back against union intimidation. When unions lose their grip, students succeed, and teachers thrive. But this fight isn’t just here. It’s happening everywhere.

Across the country, conservatives are rising up, parents taking back school boards, communities demanding accountability, and we are seeing a national movement with the assassination of Charlie Kirk and there is a great awakening for millions of Americans who are tired of watching the left take over every corner of our culture, including the classroom.

The Teacher Freedom Alliance is part of that national movement. We will provide what unions refuse to: liability insurance, professional development, continuing education, access to quality curricula, the real tools teachers need with no strings attached. No forced donations to causes and politicians you don’t believe in. No retaliation if you put parents and students first.

For too long, teachers have been told they must fund campaigns against school choice or candidates they don’t support. They have been told to stay silent or risk their careers. That ends now.

Unions had their chance, and they chose politics over students, power over performance and ideology over education. They broke the trust between schools and families and drove countless good teachers out of the profession. We’re going to end their monopoly. We’re going to give teachers freedom, parents a voice and students the education they deserve.

The unions are entrenched. They have deep pockets and political allies. But we have something stronger, the support of parents, teachers, and communities who care about children more than politics. The conservative movement sweeping this country is proof of that. People are no longer willing to sit quietly while their schools are captured. They’re standing up, speaking out and winning. Our movement is about drawing a line and saying: no more intimidation, no more indoctrination, no more betrayal of teachers and students.

If you’re a teacher tired of politics in the classroom, a parent who wants a voice in your child’s education, or a citizen who refuses to watch another generation fail then join us. Stand with us. Fight with us. The unions declared war on good teachers. It’s time we fight back. And win.

Ryan Walters is CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance. He is the former Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Schools.