Republican Robert Franklin and Democrat Jennettie Marshall are running in the Nov. 3 general election for Oklahoma state superintendent. The winner will govern the state’s public schools system as the head of both the Education Department and the Oklahoma State Board of Education.
Franklin, 66, of Sand Springs, said his top priority would be to unify school districts, higher education institutions, tribal nations and other key stakeholders to address Oklahoma’s teacher workforce shortage. Boosting the pipeline of future teachers with programs like Union High School’s educational leadership course could be scaled statewide, he said. Oklahoma could keep teachers in the classroom with regionally competitive pay, he said, and by hiring more counselors and behavioral health specialists to help address classroom disruptions. Franklin also proposed opening regional service centers at higher education campuses across the state where Education Department staff could bring professional development, particularly in early literacy and math, and other resources to nearby public schools.
Marshall, 68, of Tulsa, suggested hosting regional problem-solving sessions each month to more quickly address local concerns. She said Oklahoma must do better than aim for the regional average in teacher pay. Respect for teachers’ professional skills must be restored, she said. “In reality, what we see is teachers not being paid what they should be paid in the state, and we see teachers feeling devalued by the fact that they’re not able to teach because they are placed in the confines of cookie-cutter curriculums,” Marshall said.
The state superintendent has limited influence over teacher salaries, state funding levels for public schools and classroom lesson plans. But, both candidates said they hope to enact change by improving the Education Department’s relationships with districts and other state entities, which they said suffered during former Superintendent Ryan Walters’ turbulent tenure. Walters, a Republican, resigned in September 2025 to lead a nonprofit. Neither he nor his governor-appointed successor, Superintendent Lindel Fields, filed to run this year for elected office.
The Education Department must hold districts accountable for their academic results, Marshall said, but the agency should offer help and resources rather than punishment. While Marshall served on the Tulsa school board, Walters threatened a state takeover of the district if it didn’t quickly improve its academic scores. “When people are operating under a punitive umbrella, they’re less productive,” she said. “Rather than being focused on the business at hand, they are busy looking over their shoulders, seeing when the hammer’s going to fall. Who’s coming after me? What are they coming after me for next? And that’s where we were with Ryan Walters. We were in a very combative and volatile season, and that was statewide. Educators can’t teach while walking on eggshells.”
