Published: November 09, 2009 04:09 pm      

Ada senator jumps into superintendent's race

ADA — State Sen. Susan Paddack is entering the race to become Oklahoma's next state superintendent.

The Ada Democrat announced Monday that she is a candidate for the state's top education job. Current state Superintendent Sandy Garrett has announced she will not seek a sixth term in office after her term ends in 2010.

Paddack was elected to the state Senate in 2004 and re-elected in 2008. She will not have to give up her state Senate seat to run for the statewide office.

A former chair of the Senate Education Committee, Paddack previously was a junior high science teacher.

Other candidates include Democrat Randall Gorman, a high school teacher from Achille, and Republican Janet Barresi, an Edmond dentist and charter school organizer. Enid Superintendent Shawn Hime, a Republican, also has expressed interest in the state post.