Janet Barresi, state superintendent in Oklahoma, was defeated in the Republican primary by Joy Hofmeister, a former teacher and state school board member. Barresi was a member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change (which dropped from seven to six with Barresi’s defeat). . She supported Jeb’s A-F grading system for schools, which Hofmeister opposed. Like Jeb, Barresi supported Common Core until Oklahoma dropped (h/t to Mercedes Schneider for the correction); Joy Hofmeister does not.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Oklahoma

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Jules says:

June 24, 2014 at 11:18 pm

Love it!

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deutsch29 says:

June 24, 2014 at 11:23 pm

Once Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed legislation to drop CCSS, Barresi publicly denounced it, as well:

Oklahoma state Superintendent Janet Barresi, also a onetime supporter of the Common Core, said that as the standards became tied to the federal government, she changed her mind.

“At one time, as it was emerging from Republican and conservative ideas from individual states, I did support Common Core,” Barresi said in a statement. “As it has become entangled with federal government, however, Common Core has become too difficult and inflexible.”

UPDATE: Looks Like Oklahoma IS First to Really Dump Common Core

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- David Ross says:
  
  June 30, 2014 at 11:01 pm
  
  Let’s be frank: Getting Red-state Republicans to oppose the Common Core is really grabbing at very low-hanging fruit!
  
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  - dianeravitch says:
    
    June 30, 2014 at 11:36 pm
    
    Funny, David Ross, since red-state Republicans are also the biggest supporters of the Common Core. See Jeb Bush, John Huppenthal.
  - David Ross says:
    
    June 30, 2014 at 11:45 pm
    
    Not in Texas, I can say that for sure!
Ellen T Klock says:

June 24, 2014 at 11:33 pm

I hope this is an indication that at least some of the public is wising up to the dangers of Common Core and the attached assessments.

Governor Cuomo, heed this well. It’s time to get rid of John King and stand up to the dictates of DC. Watch out – a lot of us don’t plan on voting for you either.

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spintop says:

June 24, 2014 at 11:34 pm

I see Joy Hofmiester is from Jenks. It has been a long time but when we lived in Tulsa, I was very impressed with the Jenks school system. They focused on the child and their developmental readiness — what an idea!!

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- chemtchr says:
  
  June 25, 2014 at 6:16 am
  
  Spintop, have you got any familiarity with Joy’s private education business involvement?
  
  ” Hofmeister continues to be involved in the education arena, serving as the president of JLH Resources, Inc., which does business as Kumon Math & Reading Centers in Tulsa.” What does that actually align with in Tulsa these days?!
  
  I’m comfortably scratching my head this morning, waking up to all this odd primary news coming in from all directions. The wheel is still spinning, bros and soeurs, and the markings on it are not only blurred but moreover, they are themselves changing.
  
  The historic Republican “Southern Strategy” was broken last night, as an establishment Republican used his big-buck donor advantage to reach across the color line and defend himself from his own party. A Napster co-founder billionaire donor funded it? Napster?!!
  
  “But this time, the Mississippi Conservative PAC didn’t spend a dime on television or radio. Instead, the group – headed by Republican National Committeeman Henry Barbour –spent untold sums identifying and turning out longer-shot voters, including non-Republicans and African-Americans who were unlikely to have participated in the first vote.”
  http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/how-thad-cochrans-campaign-pulled-it-off-108276.html#ixzz35dsDrsWG
  
  Populist red-state Republicans (and democrats) increasingly oppose the corporate/gubbamint partnership to screw the working class. They now have the same option open before them, to break with the legacy of racial division, and I doubt he Koch bros manufactured Tea Party can hold them..
  
  Hey guys, we can turn those people out WITHOUT the billionaire donors, because we ARE the boots on the ground.
  
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  - spintop says:
    
    June 25, 2014 at 10:46 am
    
    My comments were more about Jenks Schools and the hope Hofmiester’s teaching experience at Jenks was a positive influence. Obviously, she has taken a more lucrative and influential career path outside the classroom. Time will show her priorities.
LLC1923 says:

June 25, 2014 at 12:15 am

Parents support local decision making and will reject “reforms” bought by the Gates Foundation. No more common core, high-stakes testing and data-mining.

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- David Ross says:
  
  June 30, 2014 at 11:03 pm
  
  If I were a parent in Oklahoma, I would definitely want to see what the local authorities are proposing before lionizing the virtues of local curricular control. In Texas, the new statewide standard curriculum for social studies greatly expanded the praise for Ronald Reagan and Joseph McCarthy at the expense of Thomas Jefferson.
  
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reckeuph says:

June 25, 2014 at 12:23 am

I would have to say that the efforts of parents was a huge factor in gaining the repeal of Common Core and building the momentum to defeat the State Superintendent. Many parents who had never visited the state Capitol are now on a first-name basis with their state legislators as well as legislative leaders. These parents (mom’s mostly) got things done by becoming educators and explaining to the state legislators exactly what was up with Common Core, the state third grade reading retention law, and the A-F grading system.

When the corporate reform lobbyists came in the legislators knew that they had the support of the public and they also had the facts to rebut the arguments (actually Common Core talking points) the reformers brought in to them.

Parent involvement is key because many legislators, for whatever reason, were not responsive to teachers.

A lot of teachers and parents complain about Common Core, but these people got involved. Along the way a lot of us got a real first-hand education in government and politics. This could be a template for change in other states as well.

This is a good night for Oklahoma education.

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leoniehaimson says:

June 25, 2014 at 9:52 am

Now there are more emeritus Chiefs for Change (7) than existing ones (6) on the list;

I believe that Tom Luna of Idaho is also retiring at the end of the year– leaving only John White (very unpopular) of LA, Mark Murphy of DE, Hanna Skandera of NM (unpopular) and Deborah Gist (RI) and Kevin Huffman of Tennesee (unpopular).

Though quite possibly the promise of Gates $ will lure another one into that extremely controversial group.

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Marian Cruz says:

June 25, 2014 at 10:51 am

Let’s hope this is good for Oklahoma.

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David Ross says:

June 30, 2014 at 10:59 pm

Since it’s Oklahoma, and the Republican Primary, I dread to think what Hofmeister supports.

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- dianeravitch says:
  
  June 30, 2014 at 11:37 pm
  
  David Ross, Hofmeister was a teacher. Her children attended public schools. She sounds far better than dentist Janet Barresi.
  
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- reckeuph says:
  
  July 1, 2014 at 4:56 am
  
  This is an interesting comment. Both the support and the opposition to Common Core cross party lines. It was cleverly marketed in Red States by Republicans (Jeb Bush in Oklahoma) and in blue states by democrats. That is how you get that many states to pass something.
  
  One good thing to come out of this debate is the cooperation of left and right and the interpersonal communication between these unlikely allies. I am a little too cynical to believe it will last long, but many people began to see the “other” party as populated by individuals rather than a stereotypical evil stupid person.
  
  I can already tell you the difference will be striking, no matter who wins the race.
  
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