Veteran school administrator Robert Franklin and classroom teacher James Taylor will meet Aug. 25 in the Republican runoff for state superintendent.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican voters will choose between a veteran school administrator and a classroom teacher when they return to the polls Aug. 25 to nominate the party’s candidate for state superintendent of public instruction.
Robert Franklin of Sand Springs finished first in the seven-candidate Republican primary with 22.6% of the vote, while James Taylor of Oklahoma City advanced to the runoff with 19.7%. Peggs Public Schools Superintendent John Cox narrowly missed the runoff with 18.4%.
The Republican nominee will face Democratic nominee Jennettie Marshall in the Nov. 3 general election.
Robert Franklin
Franklin brings more than four decades of experience in public education. His career includes service as a teacher, principal, curriculum director and assistant superintendent in Sand Springs Public Schools before moving into leadership positions at Tulsa Technology Center. He has also taught graduate educational leadership courses at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.
Franklin also served six years on the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, including four years as chairman. During his tenure, he voted against approving St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, saying Oklahoma law did not authorize a religious public charter school.
Franklin says he would focus on teacher recruitment and retention, reducing class sizes, expanding CareerTech opportunities and strengthening cooperation between the State Department of Education and local school districts.
Campaign finance reports show Franklin raised about $55,600 before the primary, spent about $18,100 and entered the runoff with roughly $37,500 cash on hand. He reported no campaign loans or political action committee contributions.
James Taylor
Taylor teaches history at Little Axe High School and serves as a pastor. Before entering the superintendent’s race, he challenged U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, in four Republican congressional campaigns.
In 2021, Oklahoma City Public Schools dismissed Taylor after he refused to comply with the district’s COVID-19 mask requirement.
Taylor says his priorities include expanding parental rights, strengthening phonics-based reading instruction, improving academic accountability and reducing administrative costs.
Taylor raised about $7,700 before the primary and had spent essentially all of it by the close of the pre-primary reporting period. Like Franklin, he reported no political action committee contributions or campaign loans.
