Ivan Holmes Files For Superintendent Post, Rips Barresi

Provided

Longtime educator and retired college professor, Dr. Ivan Holmes filed his candidacy for office today seeking the Democratic nomination for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“We are going to find out how serious Oklahomans really are about changing leadership at the State Department of Education.  I have witnessed firsthand and heard all the complaints about our current Superintendent and her lack of communication and mismanagement of standardized testing and the implementation of common core,” stated Holmes.

Holmes said he has personally visited nearly 350 Superintendents in their offices around the state and said Janet Barresi’s failures as State Superintendent of Public Instruction should not be surprising to anyone.  “What do you expect when you employ a dentist to be an educator?  I have never seen anyone who has alienated so many Superintendents, teachers and parents in such a short period of time,” said Holmes.

Holmes carries a dentist drill with him around the state to remind everyone that Barresi is a dentist and should not be practicing as an educator.  “I always tell folks that if she can be an educator then I can be a dentist and I will drill your teeth for nothing!”

The former State Democratic Party Chairman admits the primary will be a fight and a lot of information about a particular candidate and her past will be revealed at a news conference he plans to hold later this month along with other democrat candidates.  “I am still unclear what party she actually represents.  She told a TV reporter in Tulsa that she has no allegiance to any party.”

“This lady is one of the biggest cons I have ever met in my lifetime.  I have never seen anyone who will just outright lie to your face even when cameras are rolling,” stated Holmes.

Holmes said she is part of a movement by ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) and received money from one of their largest donors to replace our public schools with charter schools.  “Alec is an organization made up of millionaires and corporations whose mission is to destroy our public schools and allow charter schools to operate without any restrictions or laws.  I am adamantly against any public school funds being diverted to charter schools,” Holmes stated.

Holmes also believes Oklahoma should be first in public school funding not cuts!  “As Chair of the National Governor’s Association, Governor Mary Fallin should be embarrassed that Oklahoma ranks last in public school funding.  She would rather push for money to fund a museum than our kids.”  He said Fallin needs to concentrate on returning the 200 million dollars she and the Republican legislature took from the Lottery Education fund.

Lastly, Holmes wants to return control of education back to educators.  “Teachers should control testing, determine student advancement and take back control of the classroom,” Holmes concluded.