State schools chief to face familiar opponent
Four years ago, Joy Hofmeister took down an incumbent on the way to becoming Oklahoma's 14th superintendent of public instruction.
On Tuesday, her opponent, Peggs Public School Superintendent John Cox, will look to do the same.
Cox, a Democrat who ran unopposed in the June primary, will get another shot at Hofmeister, a Tulsa Republican who defeated him by 11 percentage points in the 2014 general election.
Independent Larry Huff of Oklahoma City, a retired educator who spent three decades as an administrator with the agency Hofmeister oversees, is also on the ballot.
Cox said he is "a little wiser than I was four years ago."
"I'm reaching across the aisle to more Independents and Republicans," he told The Oklahoman. "And they're actually taking me in because they see me as a public school advocate who actually knows what needs to be done to save our public schools."
Four years later, Cox, 55, maintains he is still more qualified than Hofmeister to run the state Education Department, pointing to his 25 years as superintendent of Peggs, a rural district in northeastern Oklahoma that serves 235 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
"I have a true understanding of what goes on on a daily basis in public schools," he said. "As state superintendent, I believe that gives me a basic knowledge of what is best for a child.
"As someone who lives it every day, I've always felt that she (Hofmeister) was always making decisions based on being re-elected instead of what's best for our public schools."
If elected, Cox said he will put more money back into school operations and raise to $40,000 the minimum salary for a first-year teacher.
"If I’m in there, if I’m blessed to be in there ... I’ll be pushing that agenda," he said.
Hofmeister, 54, of Tulsa, got a tougher-thanexpected fight in June's Republican primary then cruised to victory in the runoff, defeating Linda Murphy by 13 points.
The state's top education official said she has a record of bringing people together, representing different perspectives and getting things done.
"When I stepped into office it was a trying time," she said. "We have navigated through many hurdles, including revenue failures, an economic downturn and a teacher shortage.
"But we have come through with unity and one voice supporting students and a strong education."
Hofmeister has led efforts to write new standards for math and reading, repeal unnecessary testing, and provide free ACT and SAT tests for 11th graders.
"As state superintendent, we have strengthened academic standards and secured the largest teacher pay raise in state history," she said. "We now have a record of accomplishment and I’ve proven that I’m a fighter. We won't stop until all our children have a strong, well-rounded public education."
More work needs to be done to build on that momentum, she added.
"We must increase funding for classrooms, stop teaching to the test, reduce class sizes and provide long-term budgeting stability for public education," she said.
As of Oct. 22, Hofmeister had raised about $584,000 compared to about $104,000 for Cox.
Meanwhile, Huff said he will not take "one dime of political contributions for the campaign."
"The teachers I'm trying to help do not have the money to contribute to a political campaign," he said.
In a phone interview, Huff, 76, said he doesn't expect to win and is throwing his support behind Cox.
"To me he’s qualified, but he also has the desire and the love and the passion for boys and girls in the state of Oklahoma," Huff said. "He serves in a smaller district, so he understands diversity and the needs of special students."