Jack Herron
Jack C. Herron was a Democratic candidate for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction in the 2014 elections. At the time of his candidacy, Herron worked as the government relations director for Professional Oklahoma Educators.[1] Herron is a former assistant state superintendent for financial services at the state Department of Education.[2]
Biography
Herron is a past Assistant State Superintendent for Financial Services. He worked 11 years as the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics’ Outreach Coordinator and Regional Centers Director where he administrated centers across the state that provide college-level science and mathematics courses for qualified high school students to enhance their home high school education.[1] Herron has been a college administrator, high school principal and teacher, and served as school superintendent for 18 years in Macomb, Mangum, Guthrie, and Duncan, Oklahoma where he founded the Edge Academy Alternative School. He believes incorporating the arts strengthens curriculum and continually reinforces this concept. He is past Chair for Oklahoma’s Arts Alliance for Education, earning awards at the state and national levels. Outside of education, Heron is past Chair of the Oklahoma Community Service Commission, has been active in Kiwanis and Rotary, and was an American Legion Post Commander and a Chamber of Commerce President. He is a Leadership Oklahoma Class Two graduate and serves on the Board for the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He is an Eagle Scout, a 32nd degree Mason, and a veteran of the United States Air Force.[1][3]
Education
- High school: Norman High School Class of 1963
- B.S.: Oklahoma State University, Science Education
- M.Ed.: University of Oklahoma, Secondary School Administration/Principalship 1974 – 1976
- Ph.D.: University of Oklahoma, Doctor of Philosophy, Curriculum Supervision and Administration 1989[1]
- Dissertation: Religious policies and selected practices in public schools of Oklahoma
Credentials
Current Oklahoma Teaching Certificates:
- Professional Oklahoma Superintendent
- Professional Oklahoma Secondary Principal
- Professional Oklahoma Science
- (Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Earth Science, General Science, Physical Science, Physics, and Zoology)
- Professional Oklahoma Social Studies[1]
- (Democracy, Economics, Oklahoma History, Sociology/Anthropology, US Government and Psychology)
Career[1]
Professional Oklahoma Educators-Government Relations Director 2011 – Present
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame-Board of Trustees 2007 – Present[3]
Leadership Oklahoma-Lifetime Member 1987 – Present
- Class II Graduate;
- Vice President for Administration 1994-1995;
- Vice President for Recruitment 1996;
- Board of Directors;
- Executive Committee;
- Nominating Chairman for LOK Alumni
Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education 1984 – Present
- 1996-1997-President Elect;
- 1998-2000-President;
- 2001-2004-Past Chair;
- 2005-present-Executive Committee
Oklahoma FIRST Robotics-Planning Board Member 2007 – Present
- FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math.
The OSSM Society-Member; 1998 – Present
Board of Trustees 2013-present
- The OSSM Society is a 501 (c) 3 organization whose purpose is to promote the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics: Oklahoma’s two year, public, residential high school for juniors and seniors with exceptional ability in science and mathematics. Members include Alumni, Parents, and Friends of OSSM. The OSSM Society is also the support organization for OSSM Alumni activities.
Oklahoma Community Service Commission-Governor-Appointed Commissioner 1994 – 2013
- Past Chair
Oklahoma State Department of Education-Assistant State Superintendent-Financial Services 2010 – 2011
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics-Outreach Coordinator/Regional Centers Director 1999 – 2010
Duncan Public Schools-Superintendent 1991 – 1998
- Duncan, Oklahoma
Oklahoma Association of School Administrators-Vice President 1994 – 1995
Selected Honors and Service[1]
- 2007 Governor's Arts Award
- 2007 Commendation for Leadership and Service - Oklahoma Community Service Commission
- 2003 Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education Leadership Award
- 1998 Legislative Committee for United Suburban Schools
- 1995 National Community Distinguished Leadership Award
- 1992 Commendation for Contributions to Education - Congressman Bill Brewster
- 1991 Oklahoma State Superintendent's Leadership Award for Arts Excellence
- 1991 Kennedy Center National School Administrators Award
- 1991 Governor's Commendation - Governor David Walters
- 1991 American Legion National Education Program Award
--
- Past American Legion Commander: Post 121-Mangum, Oklahoma; Post 58-Guthrie, Oklahoma
- 32nd Degree Mason
- Eagle Scout
Elections
2014
Herron ran for election to the office of Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction. Herron failed to win the Democratic nomination in the primary.[2]
Herron's campaign set him apart as the only candidate for State Superintendent that has been a teacher, a principal, a coach, an administrator and headed a major department at the State Department of Education.[1]
Herron submitted his plan for education to Ballotpedia.[3]
| “ | 1. Raise Teacher Pay. Jack knows we need to value our teachers and reward them for the sacrifices they make everyday for our children. As a former classroom teacher, he will fight for them and ensure they have the best resources possible. Jack is committed to fighting for teachers and working to raise their pay. He also believes the State Superintendent and Oklahoma SDE must develop a well-designed plan to improve teacher retention. Support of the teacher retirement system is also paramount.
|
” |
| —Jack Herron, , email communication | ||
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. | ||||
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.[5]
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.[6][7] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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 "Jack + Herron + Oklahoma + Superintendent of Public Instruction"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Biography submission to Ballotpedia, October 21, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 News on 6, Jack Herron to seek Oklahoma superintendent's job, October 16, 2013
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Garrett Fortin, "Email communication with Jack Herron," April 21, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 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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