Robert Franklin vs. Jennettie Marshall

Candidate position
Promises less political conflict and a service-oriented agency. He says his advantage is knowing school operations from classrooms through district administration and CareerTech.

“Oklahoma doesn't need more chaos in education. We need leadership that knows what works, what's broken, and how to fix it.”

Candidate position
Promises a top-to-bottom agency review, transparent spending, less red tape and a department that partners with districts. She presents school-board governance and state-agency management as her preparation.

“The state superintendent builds teams, develops goals and a vision” to administer statewide education.

Candidate position
Calls for evidence-based early literacy and numeracy, teacher training and attention to more than a single test result. He has supported Oklahoma's science-of-reading direction while warning that implementation and testing should not crowd out instruction.

Candidate position
Centers data-driven instruction and quality curriculum. She opposed treating third-grade retention as punishment and proposed earlier intervention, parent involvement and educational support in childcare settings.

Candidate position
Says teachers should be treated as professionals and supported while held to student-outcome expectations. He has discussed recruiting high-school students into teaching, strengthening preparation and exploring a tax credit similar to Oklahoma's aerospace incentive.

Candidate position
Calls for teacher salaries at least competitive with the region, fully funded by the state; reduced administrative burdens; adequate classroom resources; and experienced peer mentors for traditionally, alternatively and emergency-certified educators.

Candidate position
Supports parent involvement, access to information and local control. He has said curriculum choices should be made locally and that parental rights already exist in law, with schools responsible for communicating clearly.

Candidate position
Calls parents a child's first and most important teacher, supports clear access to curriculum and progress information, and says curriculum selection should remain local because districts know their students.

Candidate position + record
Supports public, charter and other family options, but says choice should carry standards, financial oversight and measurable results. As a state virtual-charter board member, he voted against the St. Isidore religious charter application.

Candidate position
Her published general-election platform is built around improving public schools, with understandable academic and fiscal reporting, rigorous standards and targeted support for school improvement.

Record + candidate position
Began as a special-education teacher and co-founded Make Promises Happen, an outdoor recreation program serving people with disabilities. His broader platform stresses pathways and opportunities for students from varied backgrounds.

Candidate position
Proposes tracking whether special-education funds reach students, reducing teacher caseloads, enforcing every IEP and expanding training for inclusive classrooms. She also supports school counselors and family-focused responses to absenteeism.

Record + candidate position
Draws on Tulsa Tech leadership and employer partnerships. He emphasizes multiple postsecondary routes: college, CareerTech, apprenticeships, industry credentials and direct workforce training.

Candidate position
Links school improvement to economic development. Her platform calls for a well-rounded education that includes arts, sciences and vocational training so students can find a route to college, technical education or work.

Candidate position + record
Describes himself as a person of faith while arguing the state should follow current law and let local districts make instructional decisions. His St. Isidore vote opposed state authorization of a religious public charter.

Candidate position + record
A longtime pastor, Marshall has said religious teaching has no place in public education. Her platform calls for rigorous standards free of political influence and a focus on academics rather than polarizing disputes.