Oklahoma has an elected state superintendent of schools. Her name is Joy Hofmeister. Amazingly, she is a strong friend of public schools, and has done her best to shield them from a penny-pinching, anti-education legislature that puts tax cuts first, children last.
So of course, the conservative Republican governor Kevin Stitt thinks it is time to get rid of the elected superintendent and give him the power to choose someone more to his liking, who will not fight to fund the public schools as Hofmeister has. Several years ago, I spoke in the Sooner State and met Superintendent Hofmeister. I thought she was impressive and well-informed. Oklahoma is lucky to have her.
Somehow, a lot of Oklahomans like the idea that they can have some role in picking the state superintendent.
Since they have a very good one, they should keep her. You can be sure that Governor Stitt wants someone who will cut the education budget and demoralize teachers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here in California, we have an elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. While the real power is with the governor, California voters twice rejected Marshall Tuck, a charter proponent, as superintendent. While our former governor, Jerry Brown, vetoed pretty much every bill that attempted to reign in charters, at least the superintendent, Tom Torlakson, a former public school teacher, was there to be a champion of public schools. I am horrified to think of how much more damage a Brown/Tuck duo might have exacted on public education. So, yes, keep the position elected.
In Florida most of the superintendents in larger districts are appointed. In the panhandle some districts still elect the superintendent. There are well funded campaigns to get voters to approve appointing superintendents instead of holding a democratic vote. The conservatives that control the state would rather deal with one person of their choosing than allowing the public to have a voice in the decision. This is a power grab, and a move to consolidate power at the state level. They are also passing laws on the state level that will allow the state law to supersede any local laws.
three KEY words: “…of their choosing”