Republican Hofmeister wins Oklahoma schools post

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Former state Board of Education member Joy Hofmeister has become only the second Republican since statehood to be elected as Oklahoma’s top schools chief.

Hofmeister defeated Democrat John Cox on Tuesday.

To advance to the general election, Hofmeister trounced the incumbent superintendent of public instruction, Janet Barresi, in the GOP primary.

Hofmeister has called for curbing what she believes is excessive testing of students done at the expense of more quality learning in classrooms. She’s also called for boosting teacher pay and developing incentives to keep talented educators in Oklahoma.

Hofmeister says she’ll be able to work with the GOP-dominated Legislature to accomplish her goals.

She has spent the past 15 years operating a franchise of math and reading centers that cater to private, public, charter and home-schooled kids.