Education

A $250,000 state superintendent? Oklahoma’s pay-raise panel triggers scrutiny

November 17, 2025

Ray Carter

When the Statewide Official Compensation Commission recently convened, its members endorsed a hodgepodge of pay raises for statewide officeholders. Most notably, the group voted to make the state superintendent Oklahoma’s highest-paid statewide elected official, voting to raise the pay for that job from $124,373 to $250,000.

In contrast, the group voted to give the governor of Oklahoma a far-lower salary of $155,000.

That wasn’t the only thing that raised eyebrows about the commission’s salary decisions. The group’s plan will not only make Oklahoma’s state superintendent the highest-paid statewide elected officeholder but also make Oklahoma’s state superintendent among the highest-paid state superintendents anywhere in the country.

Only 13 states pay their state superintendents (or equivalent positions) $250,000 or more, based on salary data compiled by Ballotpedia.

“This is crazy,” said state Rep. Ryan Eaves, R-Atoka. “As legislators, as elected representatives, we’re expected to be wise with taxpayer funds. To me, this seems like a board that went far beyond what they should have.”

Many of the states paying less than Oklahoma have state superintendents who oversee far larger school systems than Oklahoma.

While Oklahoma’s public school enrollment is around 700,000 students, California has more than 5.8 million students, according to figures compiled by the NEA Research. Yet California’s state superintendent is paid $194,587, according to Ballotpedia.

The state of Georgia has more than 1.7 million students, yet pays its state superintendent $155,000.

The state of Illinois has 1.8 million students, but pays its state superintendent $243,100.

North Carolina has 1.3 million students, but pays its state superintendent $146,421.

Ohio schools serve more than 1.7 million students, but their state superintendent is paid $184,995.

More than 1.6 million students attend Pennsylvania schools, but their secretary of education is paid $183,712.

There are more than 5.5 million students in Texas schools. The Texas Commissioner of Education is paid $220,375.

Further, among the states that pay their state superintendent as much or more than Oklahoma, cost-of-living differences make the effective pay rate in some of those states lower than the new Oklahoma rate of $250,000 per year.

For example, the state of Hawaii pays its state superintendent $250,000. That’s the equivalent of roughly $192,000 in Oklahoma City, based on online cost-of-living comparisons.

When lawmakers approved House Bill 2674 this year, they voted to create the Statewide Official Compensation Commission and have its membership identical to the Board on Legislative Compensation, which already sets legislators’ pay.

Eaves said there is now “a good chance” lawmakers will revisit that decision and alternative systems may be proposed to deal with statewide officials’ salaries.

“Based off of the first moves this commission has made,” Eaves said, “obviously the Legislature made a mistake.”

Eaves said constituents have voiced objections to the massive pay raises given to some statewide officials, and he said several lawmakers have discussed the issue.

Eaves said he does not object to increasing the salaries of statewide officials, but the dramatic size of some increases approved by the board, and the lack of consistency, make the group’s pay plan hard to defend.

Because one of the commission members is a registered lobbyist, in contradiction to state law, the votes cast by the Statewide Official Compensation Commission at the group’s Nov. 12 meeting were invalidated. A replacement member has been appointed, and the commission is scheduled to vote on statewide salaries a second time at a Nov. 18 meeting. It is not known if members plan to alter the pay rates previously approved.

Lawmakers will be watching closely.

“I come from the private sector,” said Eaves, who is a rancher and owner of Eaves Stone Products, the largest manufacturer of stone veneer in the state, “and I’ve never seen 100 percent increases, year over year, in salary.”