Janet Barresi

Thank You!

damon — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:27:06 +0000

I am humbled to be your new State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Now I’m getting to work.

I’m not interested in boasting about media coverage, but I do want to keep you up to date on the latest news. So in case you missed it, Oklahoma media outlets over the last few weeks have outlined some of my goals. You might find these articles interesting and informative, so I’m providing links to some of them here:

The Oklahoman’s Megan Rolland first shared some details of my vision for transforming the state’s education system in a story that ran just before Christmas.
News 9 ran a feature story that previewed my agenda last week.
The AP’s Murray Evans prepared a lengthy article about my plans for reforms.
And on Sunday, The Tulsa World’s Andrea Eger put together an in-depth Q&A about my goals.

In coming weeks, you’ll hear more about the agenda for change that I intend to shepherd as the new chief of Oklahoma’s public education system. I’ll be talking more about three prominent themes that I consider the new fundamentals for the 21st Century: rethink, restructure and reform.

Think of them as the new “3R’s” for Oklahoma’s future.

We must rethink our entire approach to education in the 21st Century. We should buck the status quo and stop making excuses that only make adults feel better about themselves. Our children don’t have time for antiquated approaches that hold them back. We should empower parents and children, and embrace new tools like digital learning. It’s time to compete globally in the knowledge economy.

We must restructure Oklahoma’s State Department of Education to ensure that dollars are getting into the classroom, rather than concentrating critical funds on administrative overhead. I intend to transform the State Department of Education from being primarily a regulatory agency into a service organization for parents and children. I’ll also move quickly to conduct a financial and performance audit of the department.

Finally, we must enact bold reforms. That means demanding accountability, rewarding great schools and great teachers, giving parents more and better choices, implementing a clear-cut grading system for schools so we all know where things stand, and making it easier to fire bad teachers.

I’ll share more details about all of these important changes as we forge ahead. After two decades without a leadership change, I’m excited about getting to work for our state’s children.

I couldn’t do any of this without your support. I am honored that you have entrusted this important office to me. I will work hard every single day to provide our state’s children with the opportunities for learning that they deserve — and to transform Oklahoma’s education system for the better.

Janet Barresi Takes Office as First New Oklahoma State Superintendent in 20 Years

damon — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:24:12 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY (January 10, 2011) — Armed with a pledge to usher in a new era of bold reforms that will transform Oklahoma’s education system, State Superintendent Janet Barresi took office on Monday as the state’s first new chief of public instruction in two decades and as the first Republican elected to the office.

“It’s time to prepare Oklahoma’s children for the demands of the 21st Century,” said Barresi. “Oklahoma can be a leader in education, but only if we are committed to rethinking our approach to education, to restructuring outdated and inefficient systems, and to enacting real reforms.”

Barresi was sworn in Monday at the State Capitol along with other statewide elected officials. Taking charge of the state’s education system at a difficult crossroads, Barresi said she is committed to changing a broken status quo. Recent studies indicate that Oklahoma’s students have fallen significantly behind in the global competition for educational excellence (one study ranked Oklahoma among the worst 10 states in producing top-achieving math students)

“The challenges we face as a state should be turned into opportunities,” said Barresi. “The time for excuses is over. Every child can learn, regardless of socioeconomic conditions. And every child in Oklahoma deserves a chance to learn. When a young person graduates with a high school diploma in Oklahoma, they should be ready to enter college successfully. ‘Work ready’ should mean ‘college ready.’”

Barresi said that one of her first orders of business will be to ensure that critical dollars are getting into the state’s classrooms. She said she will immediately direct a comprehensive division-by-division analysis of the State Department of Education. And she’ll be working to contract with an independent auditor to conduct a financial and performance audit of the department.

Barresi said she will also focus on overhauling Oklahoma’s student data system so that it provides more accurate, more detailed and timelier information to schools and teachers. She also pledged to institute an A through F letter-grade rating system for schools.

“If children can be sent home with a report card that parents can understand, then we should be able to do the same for schools,” said Barresi. “A new letter-grade system for schools will increase accountability and improve results.”

On her first day in office, Barresi also reached out to parents, teachers, administrators and citizens statewide, seeking their input and ideas.

“It’s been 20 years since the State Department of Education has seen new leadership,” she said. “Now we will seek innovation and new ways of doing business. I’m eager to hear from all Oklahomans. I can’t get there without every parent in the state, every teacher and administrator, and every citizen committed to working together for positive reforms.”

No Forced Consolidation

damon — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 06:14:37 +0000

As I approach my first day in office next week, I’m excited about getting to work for our state’s children.

During this time, I think it’s worth it to continue to have a conversation about the big issues our state’s education system faces.

For the record, as I’ve said in the past, I’m against forced consolidation of schools:

A Preview of Our Reform Agenda

damon — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 06:20:32 +0000

In recent weeks, local media outlets have offered previews of the reform agenda that I will move forward when I take office next week. This evening, Oklahoma City CBS affiliate KWTV featured our efforts in a 10 p.m. report:

News 9′s story this evening was generated in part by a comprehensive round-up bylined by The Oklahoman’s education reporter Megan Rolland on Christmas Eve. In that story, I shared my vision for accepting the challenges we face as an opportunity to rethink, restructure and reform our state’s system of education.

The Oklahoman followed that report with a supportive editorial a few days later. The Oklahoman wrote:

Barresi is challenging schools, teachers and parents to step up their game. Preparation doesn’t begin in high school. It begins much earlier — at home. That’s where the gaps start, too.

It’s exciting to see the encouragement and enthusiasm our efforts are generating as we approach January 10.

Doing the Right Thing in Bixby & Owasso

damon — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 03:07:56 +0000

Late last week, we learned that the Owasso and Bixby school boards reversed an earlier decision and decided to comply with Oklahoma’s new special needs Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program, implementing the program in their districts:

I’m pleased to hear that the Owasso and Bixby school boards have seen the wisdom of obeying the law.

I look forward to working with the law’s authors, State Representative Jason Nelson and State Senator Patrick Anderson, and other members of the Legislature to assure that this program is focused on providing children and their families with options regarding their education.

While I’m glad this situation has been resolved for parents and children in these two districts, I urge all other districts still refusing to comply with the law to reverse their decisions.

Follow the lead of Owasso and Bixby, and do the right thing.

There’s also an important lesson to be learned here: Just because superintendents and school boards do not agree with a particular state law, that does not empower them to disobey it.

As your new State Superintendent, I will not stand idly by while any school official defies state law or while superintendents violate the oaths they took.

Your Child Left Behind?

damon — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 19:08:25 +0000

This month’s issue of The Atlantic magazine features a fascinating and troubling story about how far behind America’s schoolchildren have fallen compared to other nations. Instead of focusing on comparisons only within the United States, The Atlantic used research by Stanford economist Eric Hanushek that compares individual states in the union to other countries around the world.

The results are startling. When it comes to math proficiency, for example, Oklahoma ranks far down on the list near a cluster of developing nations like Uruguay, Bulgaria, Chile, Romania, and Azerbaijan.

The article makes it clear that research is increasingly proving that the inputs-based approach to American education has been an abysmal failure:

“… we still fixate on inputs—such as how much money we are pouring into the system or how small our class sizes are—and wind up with little to show for it. Since the early 1970s, we’ve doubled the amount of money we spend per pupil nationwide, but our high-schoolers’ reading and math scores have barely budged.”

Further:

“Per student, we now spend more than all but three other countries—Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Norway—on elementary and secondary education. And the list of countries that spend the most, notably, has little in common with the outcomes that Hanushek and his colleagues put into rank order.”

Hanushek’s research has also demolished a variety of excuses about why America’s kids rank so far behind — excuses like unfair testing or diversity.

As your new State Superintendent, I’m committed to the ideal that every child can learn, and I reject the excuses some have used over the years to maintain a broken status quo.

This is a wake-up call for our state. Oklahoma must recognize that it is now in a race for excellence not only with states like Texas or Florida, but with nations like Taiwan and Finland — and those nations are already far ahead of us.

Superintendent-Elect Barresi Announces Transition Team

monique — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:13:24 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov 17, 2010) — State Superintendent-elect Janet Barresi on Tuesday announced her transition team, as she prepares to become the first new leader of Oklahoma’s public education system in two decades.

Jennifer Carter, Barresi’s campaign manager and a former Assistant Insurance Commissioner, will serve as head of the transition effort and will become Chief of Staff in the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Damon Gardenhire and Russell Valleroy will join Carter on the transition team. Gardenhire will become Communications Director at the department, while Valleroy will serve as the department’s Director of Operations.

“I’m excited about the fresh perspectives and level of expertise these three professionals offer,” said Barresi, who won more than 55 percent of the vote in the statewide election earlier this month. “The three members of my transition team bring a wealth of knowledge to their roles. And they have a firm commitment to helping me tackle the challenges of establishing stronger academic standards, making our education system more efficient and getting dollars into the classroom.”

Carter brings a wealth of policy, legislative and administrative experience to her new position. She previously served as Director of Legal Services/Government Relations for the Association of Professional Oklahoma Educators (APOE), lobbying on education policy at the Oklahoma Capitol and representing teachers at board hearings and in lawsuits. From 2005 to 2009, Carter worked at the state Insurance Department, rising to the position of Assistant Insurance Commissioner for Government Relations. Her duties included serving as chief policy advisor to the Insurance Commissioner, developing the department’s legislative agenda and representing the agency at the Oklahoma Capitol during the legislative session.

Since 2009, Carter has managed the Janet Barresi for State Superintendent campaign, which culminated with the first election of a Republican to the office by a margin of more than 18 points of the popular vote. As part of that assignment, she managed a $1.2 million budget and provided daily oversight of the campaign and political advice to the candidate. Carter holds a bachelor’s degree in Letters from the University of Oklahoma and a Juris Doctor with a Certificate in Comparative and International Law from the University of Tulsa College of Law.

Gardenhire — a former television reporter who covered the Murrah building bombing and the federal trial of Timothy McVeigh — joins the transition team after serving as assistant dean of communications and marketing at Oklahoma City University’s School of Law the past three years. Before his work at OCU LAW, Gardenhire was communications director for the Oklahoma House. He also served more than seven years as spokesman for INTEGRIS Health, handling crises including the intense influx of national media during the May, 1999 tornadoes in Oklahoma City. A 2004 OKC Business “40 Under 40″ honoree, Gardenhire’s reporting has also been published in the Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, National Journal and Oklahoma Today magazine. Gardenhire holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he was a McMahon Scholar.

Russell Valleroy, Assistant Insurance Commissioner over Producer and Consumer Services, has been with the Oklahoma Insurance Department since 2006. He has also served as director of operations at the department — overseeing consumer assistance, producer licensing, human resources and information technology. Besides his duties as Assistant Commissioner, he has been an active participant on numerous National Association of Insurance Commissioner committees and working groups, including the Producer Licensing Working Group, Senior Issues Task Force and the Consumer Protections and Innovations Working Group. Before his work at the Insurance Department, Valleroy served in a variety of managerial positions in the private sector, including at Cox Communications. In these capacities he was responsible for extensive numbers of staff and employee recruitment. He also worked closely with company leadership on overall quality and policy improvements, as well as setting and meeting corporate goals. Valleroy has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Nazarene University and is a graduate of Bishop McGuinness high school in Oklahoma City.

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Thank You

monique — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 03:51:05 +0000

After 16 months of campaigning, the election is finally over and the votes counted, and I am honored to have been elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Thank you so much for your vote and your support. The success of this campaign is due to Oklahomans from all walks of life who voted Tuesday to end to the status quo and reform education.

I especially want to thank all those who volunteered on the campaign, taking time out of busy schedules to help us put out signs, hand out literature, march in parades, and spread the message. Without your help, this victory would not have been possible.

Tuesday’s election was just the first step, and I will continue to need your support in the battles ahead. I hope you will stay engaged in the process and continue to stand up for Oklahoma’s children.

We have won an important victory this week, but now the real work begins.

God bless you all,

Janet

“Reverse Grapes of Wrath”

monique — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:55:50 +0000

On Oct. 12, USA Today wrote about the “reverse Grapes of Wrath” now occurring as Californians move to Oklahoma. The reasons cited for the migration included our state’s low cost of living, low unemployment rate, and relatively strong state economy.

But the article also noted, “For all its efforts, Oklahoma still has work to do. In a ranking of state business climates this year, CNBC put Oklahoma at No. 1 for lowest cost of living but 25th overall, 41st for quality of life and 40th for education. Few Oklahomans would challenge the verdict on their schools.”

For Oklahoma to prosper, we must improve our schools.

But this race isn’t simply about improving an economy. At the most fundamental level, it’s about changing lives and helping individuals achieve their dreams, especially parents’ dreams for their children.

When I first helped found Independence Charter Middle School, students’ parents had to do volunteer work. One day I received a call from a mother who said, “All I have to do is log 50 hours of work to get my daughter into this school? Lady, I’ll clean toilets.” That was the moment I realized just how desperate many parents are to obtain a quality education for their children.

Sadly, I have heard similar tales over the past 16 months as I have campaigned across Oklahoma.

Families should not have to “escape” to good schools. It is clear that the status quo is not acceptable. Every school must provide every child a quality education.

It’s time to stop making excuses and start making progress.

If I am elected, we will do better, but I can’t do it alone. I need your vote on Tuesday, and I need you to tell your friends and family about my candidacy.

On Tuesday, you have the power to chart a new course in Oklahoma education that puts students ahead of bureaucrats, frees teachers to excel, and empowers parents.

I humbly ask for your vote and thank you for your support.

Muskogee Phoenix Recommends Janet Barresi

monique — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 03:36:09 +0000

State superintendent: Vote Janet Barresi. While this race has strong candidates with Susan Paddack and Richard Cooper, we believe Barresi holds the edge. A former speech pathologist and dentist, she founded Independence Charter Middle School and then became the board president of Harding Charter Preparatory High School. She also opposes State Question 744. She says a complete overhaul of the state’s education system is needed. We believe her charter school experience sets her apart from the field.

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