Need for religious freedom, more Oklahoma teacher support drives Toni Hasenbeck’s superintendent bid

Editor’s note: This is the fourth of a series of profiles on the seven Republican candidates seeking the party’s nomination for state superintendent. Profiles will run in alphabetical order.

A state lawmaker and former teacher promised conservative policies and respect for educators in her campaign for Oklahoma’s top education office.

Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, 54, is one of seven Republicans running in the June 16 primary election for state superintendent, which leads the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the state Board of Education.

Hasenbeck, of Fletcher, said supporting teachers would be her top priority. She spent 19 years as an elementary teacher, school librarian and middle school teacher until she was elected to the state House in 2018.

She said a lack of respect for teachers and school administrators is the biggest challenge Oklahoma public schools face.

“That might be the single biggest problem,” she said. “Once we start respecting teachers, a whole bunch of other things change.”

Supporting instructional leaders also should be a focus, she said. Hasenbeck proposed connecting the 1,000 best principals in the state to mentor the 1,000 newest, particularly to give coaching on how to best manage classroom behavioral issues. 

Having an effective principal handling student discipline “means more to classroom teachers than a pay raise” and lets teachers focus on teaching, she said. 

Hasenbeck said she’s proud of state lawmakers’ work this year to add stricter requirements for reading instruction, raise teacher pay and increase education funding. 

During her time in the Legislature, she’s been at the forefront of bills banning transgender girls from participating in girls sports and prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors.

Her platform for state superintendent pledges a “back-to-basics” approach that emphasizes American patriotism, opposes “leftist ideologies” and supports religious freedom — terms that are reminiscent of former state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ messaging.

Hasenbeck passed a bill through the state House — before it stalled in the Senate — that would have mandated a daily period of prayer in public schools. 

“I’m not saying that kids have to pray, but they are welcome to should they desire to because that’s their right,” Hasenbeck said.

Walters did not seek a second term in office. Instead, he resigned Sept. 30 with more than a year left in his term to lead an anti-teacher-union organization. He put the superintendent position under a national spotlight during his 33 months in office with controversial policies, culture-war rhetoric and frequent media appearances.

Lindel Fields, whom Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed to finish Walters’ term, kept his promise to the governor that he would not run to keep the post in the 2026 elections.

GOP voters will choose between Hasenbeck, Peggs Public Schools Superintendent John Cox, William Crozier, former school district and CareerTech administrator Robert Franklin, Southern Nazarene University senior research analyst Debra Herlihy, state Sen. Adam Pugh and high school teacher James Taylor.

Two Democrats, former Tulsa Board of Education member Jennettie Marshall and retired El Reno Public Schools Superintendent Craig McVay, round out the nine-candidate field.