Freda Deskin
Freda Deskin was a Democratic candidate for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2014 elections.[1]
Biography
Deskin has been an educator for over 40 years, including 15 years as a classroom teacher. She has served as an assistant principal, principal and school superintendent. Deskin founded Oklahoma Odyssey of the Mind, the Oklahoma and the International Aerospace Summer Academies, OU and OCU "ropes" leadership programs. She has developed curriculum for the American Institute of Architects, NASA, Challenger Center for Space Science Education, EPCOT Center, Experimental Aircraft Association, school districts, universities and others.[1]
Education
- Lexington High School
- B.S., Elementary Education, University of Central Oklahoma (1970)
- Master's, Secondary Education, University of Oklahoma (1986)
- Ph.D., Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, University of Oklahoma (1993)
- Certification – Post Doctoral, Strategic Management, Harvard University (2006)
- Post Doctoral Studies, Finance, Oklahoma City University (2009)
Elections
2014
Deskin ran for election to the office of Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction. Deskin was second in the Democratic primary and lost to John Cox in the runoff on August 26.[2] The general election takes place on November 4, 2014.
Primary results
| Oklahoma Superintendent, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 John Cox |
41% | 68,889 | ||
| Freda Deskin |
38.2% | 64,135 | ||
| Jack Herron | 13.3% | 22,335 | ||
| Ivan Holmes | 7.4% | 12,504 | ||
| Total Votes | 167,863 | |||
| Election results via Oklahoma State Election Board. | ||||
Runoff results
| Oklahoma Superintendent, Democratic Primary Runoff, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| John Cox |
62.9% | 60,370 | ||
| Freda Deskin | 37.1% | 35,621 | ||
| Total Votes | 95,991 | |||
| Election results via Oklahoma State Board of Elections. | ||||
Race background
As in other superintendent races across the country, the national debate over the Common Core educational standards motivated several candidates to enter the race to challenge the incumbent, Republican Janet Barresi. The issue drew additional attention when Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin signed a law repealing the Common Core standards in Oklahoma, making it one of the first states to do so.[3]
Barresi faced a strong primary challenge from educator Joy Hofmeister. Hofmeister raised nearly $1.5 million by the primary election, while Barresi kept pace in part by loaning over $1.25 million to her own campaign.[4][5] Both Barresi and Hofmeister, along with most other candidates in the race, opposed Common Core and featured that stance in campaign advertising, sometimes criticizing one another for their roles in the standards’ implementation.[6] During a June 17 debate that included Hofmeister and the Democratic candidates, all participants voiced opposition to Common Core and advocated for broader changes in education policy and culture.[7] In total, three Republicans and four Democrats contested the superintendent primaries on June 24.
Hofmeister defeated Barresi in the Republican primary, receiving enough votes to avoid a runoff, and faced Democratic candidate John Cox in the general election.
Primary polling
| 2014 Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Jack C. Herron Jr. | John Cox | Freda Deskin | Ivan Holmes | Unsure | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| Sooner Poll May 5-10, 2014 | 3.5% | 10.6% | 14.0% | 8.3% | 63.5% | +/-3.90 | 631 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Freda + Deskin + Oklahoma + Superintendent"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Deskin for Kids, " Who is Freda Deskin?" accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ News9, "Long-Time OK Educator Announces Candidacy For State Superintendent," October 21, 2013
- ↑ NewsOn6, "Governor Fallin Signs Bill To Repeal, Replace Common Core Standards," June 5, 2014
- ↑ The Oklahoman, "Challenger for Oklahoma schools superintendent position out-raises opponent in campaign funds," November 2, 2013
- ↑ NewsOK, "Oklahoma state schools superintendent loans campaign almost $1 million in last month," June 18, 2014
- ↑ The Oklahoman, "Barresi campaign says rival would deprive Oklahoma children with special needs of education opportunities," June 5, 2014
- ↑ Tulsa World, "State superintendent candidates, minus Barresi, meet in Owasso forum," June 18, 2014
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