Former Tulsa school board members, rural school leader enter race for state superintendent

OKLAHOMA CITY — The list of candidates seeking to lead Oklahoma’s public education system has grown to five, including two former Tulsa Board of Education members and a rural public school leader making his fourth campaign.

Former Tulsa school board members Jennettie Marshall, a Democrat, and Jerry Griffin, an independent, each filed paperwork with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission this month to establish campaigns for the 2026 state superintendent election. This is Griffin’s second run for the post, having initiated a brief campaign as a Republican in 2022 before dropping out of the race.

John Cox, the longtime superintendent of Peggs Public School in rural eastern Oklahoma, is running again as a Republican. He campaigned for state superintendent as a Democrat in 2014 and 2018, losing both times to former state Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, and as a Republican in 2022, finishing third in the GOP primary.

Republican Rob Miller, who recently retired as superintendent of Bixby Public Schools, far outpaces the field in fundraising. He’s raised $128,778 in individual contributions, much of it coming from fellow educators and district administrators, since he became the first candidate to enter the race in February.

Ana Davine Landsaw, a Republican from Tahlequah, has raised the next-highest amount, $1,050. Another GOP candidate, Riley Williams, of Calera, raised $300 before dropping out of the race.

No other candidates have reported receiving any campaign contributions so far.

Oklahoma’s incumbent state superintendent, Ryan Walters, hasn’t announced a campaign for reelection nor for any other office. He is eligible for a second four-year term as superintendent.

Miller, a longtime educator and former Marine, has been highly critical of Walters’ divisive style of politics. He said a cornerstone of his campaign is to restore “pride and respect back to education.”

Entering his 40th year in education, Cox pledged to keep schools safe from indoctrination, inappropriate materials, sexual predators and harmful intruders, according to his campaign platform. 

He said benchmark assessments that gauge students’ progress throughout the school year would better improve academic outcomes than once-a-year state tests. Walters has made a similar proposal to change Oklahoma’s testing model.

Cox said this would leave more time for classroom instruction in the spring months, which schools often dedicate to annual testing.

“I’ve been campaigning on that for several years, and I think (Walters) saw what I was saying that it brings value to the classroom,” Cox said. “It allows teachers to be teachers.”

Cox also pointed to phonics-based reading instruction, also known as the science of reading, and emphasizing parental involvement in schools, particularly to improve growth of students with disabilities, as key points of his campaign.

The race’s lone Democrat, Marshall, intends to “clean up” the Oklahoma State Department of Education and refocus it back on children’s schooling, especially to address “deficits in special education,” according to a campaign flier she shared on social media. She did not immediately return a request for comment from Oklahoma Voice.

Marshall, who has a background as a pastor and funeral director, said she would prioritize teacher retention, accountability of districts, and improving the relationship between public schools and parents.

Griffin, a longtime Republican, decided to run as an independent to focus on solutions rather than political labels, according to a news release he posted to social media. He did not immediately return a request for comment from Oklahoma Voice.

Like Miller, Griffin is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former educator. In 2023, Griffin published a reading-centric blueprint for education reform.

“I firmly believe we are positioned to win and to become the first Independent in Oklahoma history to capture a statewide office,” Griffin said in a statement.

Griffin left the Tulsa school board in 2024. Marshall did so in April.

Landsaw did not immediately return a request for comment from Oklahoma Voice for this story. She is still registered with the state Ethics Commission as having an active campaign, but her campaign website and social media accounts have been discontinued.