Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
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The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes called the Oklahoma State School Superintendent, is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the President of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is responsible for overseeing and reviewing the policies of the Oklahoma’s public school system.
The current State Superintendent of Public Instruction is Sandy Garrett. Garrett is currently serving her fourth consecutive term in office, with her first term beginning in 1990 and her fifth term set to end in 2011.
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[edit] Constitutional requirements
The Office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction has requirements which set it apart from all other state offices. As with all executive branch officials, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction must be at least 31 years old and have been a register elector within Oklahoma for 10 years prior to election.
[edit] Election
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is elected directly by the people of Oklahoma.
Elections for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction are held on a four year concurrent basis with the election of the Governor. After all votes are collected, the Legislature of Oklahoma shall convene in the hall of the House of Representatives and the Speaker of the House of Representatives announce the results of the elections in the presence of a majority of each branch of the Legislature. The persons having the highest number of votes for the office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be declared duly elected. However, in case two or more shall have an equal and the highest number of votes for the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Legislature shall, by joint ballot, choose one of the said persons having an equal and the highest number of votes for the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
[edit] Most recent election
For the November 2006 general election, Sandy Garrett was the Democratic nominee and Bill Crozier was the Republican nominee. Garrett easily defeated Crozier to win her fifth consecutive term.
[edit] Term(s) of office
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s four year term begins on the first Monday in January following the general election, and runs concurrently with that of the Governor of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Constitution places no limit to the number of terms a candidate may serve in succession or in total.
[edit] Powers and responsibilities
Constitutionally, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction has no duties. The office’s powers and responsibilities come from Oklahoma School Code and the powers granted to the office by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. The primary function of the State Superintendent is giving advice and making recommendations to the State Board of Education on all matters pertaining to the policies and administration of the State Department of Education and the public school system. The State Superintendent’s powers over the Department of Education come from its ex officio positions as President of the State Board of Education and State Board of Vocational and Technical Education. As the President of these Boards, the State Superintendent presides at all meetings and has the full right of discussion and voting on all measures.
As the Chief Executive Officer of the State Department of Education, State Superintendent coordinates all divisions of the State Department of Education and supervises all employees. As Oklahoma's state education agency, the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction is responsible for the general administration, coordination, supervision, promotion, evaluation, and improvement of educational programs, the state superintendent interprets and implements the policies of the State Board of Education. Also, upon request, the State Superintendent must advise district superintendents of schools on questions as to the powers, duties, and functions of school district officials.
Every two years, the State Superintendent must compile, publish, and distribute a book of laws and Attorney General’s opinions on schools, and issue annually a statistical report for the Governor and legislators on the Education Department. The State Superintendent also serves as the chief education advisor to the Oklahoma Legislature and Governor on educational affairs.
The State Superintendent serves as the official representatives from Oklahoma to the United States Department of Education.
[edit] Oath of office
"I, ........., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, obey, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, and that I will not, knowingly, receive, directly or indirectly, any money or other valuable thing, for the performance or nonperformance of any act or duty pertaining to my office, other than the compensation allowed by law; I further swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully discharge my duties as State Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Oklahoma to the best of my ability."
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- State Department of Education website
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