Donna L. Anderson, Democrat, to run for state superintendent
BY BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
Saturday, December 22, 2012
12/22/12 at 5:15 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY - Democrat Donna L. Anderson announced Friday that she will run for state superintendent against incumbent Republican Janet Barresi.
Anderson, 47, is superintendent of Bennington Public Schools in Bryan County in southeastern Oklahoma.
She began her career in education in 1992 as a middle school teacher. She has worked as a parent educator for Oklahoma Parents as Teachers before starting the school at the Sac and Fox Nation Juvenile Detention Center.
Anderson has been a director of alternative education, an assistant principal, a principal and a superintendent. She holds a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in education administration.
Anderson said she would revamp the controversial A-F grading system for schools to make it accurate.
She was also critical of legislation requiring high school seniors to pass four out of seven end-of-instruction exams to graduate.
"No college in the state wants to know what an end-of-instruction score is," Anderson said. "They want to know what an ACT score is and they want to know what the subscores are on the ACT to be able to remediate or not remediate children."
She said an educator needs to be running public education, not a dentist or someone from the business community. Barresi is a dentist by trade and has opened charter schools.
Anderson opposes legislation that would allow teachers and principals who undergo firearms training to carry weapons in schools.
She said she would work to stabilize school funding, which has undergone cuts in recent years.
Anderson said she started her campaign early - the election isn't until 2014 - so she could get her message out to as many people as possible.
"I am very passionate about what I am doing right here," she said.
Original Print Headline: Dem to seek state's top post in education
Barbara Hoberock 405-528-2465
barbara.hoberock@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Donna L. Anderson: She is a school superintendent in Bryan County
|
