OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A longtime college professor and former Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman added his name Thursday to the growing list of candidates looking to unseat first-term Republican State Superintendent Janet Barresi.
Retired educator Ivan Holmes, 76, joins at least three other Democrats and a Republican who have announced plans to seek the education post in 2014.
“It’s time for Oklahoma educators to take back its public schools and stop the influx of outside interest groups from discrediting and dismantling our public school system,” Holmes said.
Holmes joins longtime education official Jack Herron of Norman, Bennington Superintendent Donna Anderson, and Peggs Superintendent John Cox in the race for the Democratic nomination. Several other Democratic candidates are reportedly eying the race, but have not filed formal paperwork with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
Barresi also is facing a primary challenge from fellow Republican Joy Hofmeister of Tulsa, a former state school board member appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin who resigned to run against Barresi.
Barresi, who was elected as part of a Republican wave in Oklahoma in 2010, has had a rocky first term that included highly publicized clashes with the state school board and resistance from local superintendents over several GOP-led education initiatives.
Holmes earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in education administration from the University of Tulsa. He taught at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and also served a term on the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges.