It’s been a long seven-month campaign, but it’s finally over.
Dr. Robert Franklin, a Republican, beat Democrat Jennettie Marshall in a race that was never really close. Dr. Franklin started the night with a near 30-point lead after early and absentee ballots were counted, and went on to win.
He held his watch party at the University of Oklahoma Schusterman Center at 41st and Yale Tuesday night, and Franklin spoke to KRMG after the votes were counted.
“This is the work that we do,” Franklin said. “And we’re so grateful that there’s so many of you that are in this audience that have been doing this work from the very beginning. Teachers are the solution to our problems, and we just have to celebrate you more often. And let’s begin to do that starting… now.”
Sand Springs School Board President Mike Mullins spoke to KRMG before the results and said he was confident.
“We got this. Yeah. You know, we never, you never know until it’s over with. Sure. But, we’ve really worked hard. What’s really cool about Robert, like I said, I’ve been with him a lot of places. And the consistency in his message — I told him, Robert, I can give your message because I’ve heard it so many times. It never changes. I don’t care what group you’re talking to; it’s always the same,” Mullins said.
Dr. Franklin started in education 45 years ago at the Hissom Memorial Center, a hospital for individuals with disabilities, and held teaching and leadership positions at Sand Springs Schools for 29 years before becoming an instructor at Tulsa Tech in 2010. He also served as associate superintendent for student affairs. He is also the co-founder of Make Promises Happen, a camp for individuals with disabilities.
Dr. Franklin said he’s proud that he’s never been a politician, and he ran on “back-to-basics” academics, parent involvement, school choice with accountability, discipline, and giving graduates a path to success.
In the Republican primary, Franklin beat James Taylor with 54 percent of the vote.
Dr. Jennettie Marshall is an Oklahoma public servant and pastor. Served as a probation and parole officer for 17 years and as a child welfare investigator for three years. She served on the TPS Board of Education for eight years.
