Hofmeister Files For Top Education Post

For Immediate Release: April 10, 2014

Republican Joy Hofmeister Filed for State School Superintendent

Republican Joy Hofmeister, a day after her first debate with incumbent State School Superintendent Janet Barresi, filed to challenge the controversial education chief.

“The state of Oklahoma, and the Republican Party, needs a new and effective leader for education,” Hofmeister said.

“We have to return order to the state Department of Education; we’re losing great educators because of all the dysfunction and burdensome mandates. We need an advocate for high standards who will lead through building relationships, not through confrontation. I’m passionate, and I’m picking up support every day from parents, business leaders, teachers and local school board members.

“We must bring about meaningful reform that will work. We must stop over-testing our children. We need to put an end to unfunded mandates and restore local control. We need to evaluate our schools in a constructive manner that allows for improvement instead of punishment,” Hofmeister said.

“We need a leader who can bring parents, teachers, school and community leaders together to set

high standards for higher student achievement. But then, government needs to get out of the way and let teachers teach.”

Hofmeister said she had numerous questions for Janet Barresi after their first debate in Tulsa on Tuesday, and she promised to keep asking her for the answers Oklahomans deserve.

“I would start with a question that arose after yesterday’s debate. ‘How do you explain hiring a labor union boss to be your chief-of-staff, to run the state Department of Education, and then hypocritically bash the same organization for political gain?

“We have a lot of questions we will be asking over the next couple of months and weeks.”

Joy is a former public school teacher, an executive with private-sector experience and a researcher with a passion for finding ways to improve our schools and improve student academic performance. Joy’s experience, dedication and passion for reform led to her appointment to the State Board of Education. During her time on the State Board, Hofmeister developed an understanding of the current obstacles blocking meaningful reform of our schools. Taking what she learned from her tenure on the State Board of Education, she plans to reform our schools through trust, respect and collaboration. She is currently endorsed by over 20 state Republican legislators.

For 19 years, Hofmeister has supported her local Parent Teacher Association and has been a board member of the Jenks Public Schools Foundation. She and her husband have four children. Three of Joy’s children are graduates of Jenks Public Schools and their youngest is a senior at Jenks High School.

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