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Linda Murphy for Oklahoma State Superintendent

In 2014, Joy Hofmeister (mugshot below) defeated incumbent Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi by a wide margin in the Republican primary. In 2018, she has drawn two primary opponents, newcomer Will Farrell and former State Secretary of Education Linda Murphy. Linda Murphy is a graduate of Cheyenne...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 21, 2018 9:46 PM

Oklahoma primary 2018: Notes on statewide offices

I'll be writing about each office in a separate entry, but here are a couple of preliminary notes. Three of the candidates on the statewide ballot are current or recent members of legislative leadership: Former State Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, House Majority Floor Leader Glen Mulready, and former...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 20, 2018 11:27 PM

Garrett: Tulsa-area school boards violating their oaths of office

On Friday, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett spoke to CapitolBeatOK regarding the decision by several Tulsa-area school boards not to obey House Bill 3393, the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program Act. "When I took office as Superintendent of Public Instruction, I swore an oath...

Posted by Michael Bates on October 16, 2010 12:13 AM

Barresi rebuts Hime attack

In the Republican primary race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Shawn Hime, a former assistant to incumbent Democratic Superintendent Sandy Garrett, has attacked Janet Barresi in a fundraising letter for having contributed in the past to Democratic candidates. Barresi responded tonight with a press release, which you can read...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 26, 2010 11:20 PM

Choice Remarks

Oklahoma is lagging behind the rest of the nation in offering a variety of affordable K-12 educational options to our children and their parents. In hopes of improving the situation, there's now an organization called Oklahomans for School Choice, with an official blog called Choice Remarks, headed up by Brandon...

Posted by Michael Bates on February 11, 2008 10:59 PM

Make the School Year Better, Not Longer

An edited version of this column appeared in the December 12, 2007, edition of Urban Tulsa Weekly. The published version is no longer available online. Posted online on September 10, 2017. Make the School Year Better, Not Longer By Michael D. Bates Last month a task force urged Oklahoma's State...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 12, 2007 1:10 AM

Amazing! When passing grade is lowered, more students pass test!

I'm stunned by today's banner headline article on the front page of today's Whirled. Here's the headline: Test results spike after change The story breathlessly tells of "remarkable results": The statistical leaps being reported by area districts in the percentage of students deemed proficient in Algebra I are staggering --...

Posted by Michael Bates on August 17, 2007 5:41 PM

Oklahoma City downtown hotel has "character"

Doug Loudenback has a nearly comprehensive history of downtown Oklahoma City hotels from the beginning to the present day, illustrated with postcards, vintage photos, and present day photos. The fate of each hotel is described. One of the more interesting "whatever happened to" stories involves the Holiday Inn (built in...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 28, 2007 11:39 PM

Getting a free ride

The following statewide and Tulsa-area Democratic candidates are currently without a challenger. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. today. Sandy Garrett, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mary Easley, State Senate District 18 Lucky Lamons, State House District 66 Darrell Gilbert, State House District 72 Jabar Shumate, State House District 73...

Posted by Michael Bates on June 7, 2006 11:27 AM