A Brief History
The Early Years
Linda Allen (Murphy) was graduated from High School in Cheyenne, Oklahoma. She was selected by the American Legion to attend Girl’s State where she enjoyed spending a week learning about Oklahoma state government and meeting new friends. One of those friends from her “Girls State town,” Elaine Soter, was elected Governor of Girls State.
Higher Education
Experience in the Classroom
Linda taught special education in Caddo County in Lookeba-Sickles Public School K-8 grades and in Hinton 6-12 grades. Later she taught in Osage County in Avant Public Schools K-8, where she also served as director of testing. She has taught adults who were illiterate to read and taught braille to students who were legally blind. Linda taught children and adults in all subject areas and with a wide range of exceptional needs including students with Learning Disabilities, Developmental Delay, Autism and Traumatic Brain Injury.
Linda received a statewide award from the State Optometric Association for her work in directing a program in a clinic for students with visually related learning problems. She consulted as a specialist for IEP-Individualized Education Plan teams. She provided hundreds of training presentations for teachers and for Vision Therapists to help them identify visual interference to learning and how to help these students.
In addition to directing the clinical program, she spoke across the U.S. as a liaison for the Optometric Extension Program Foundation dedicated to vision therapy and research. Measurable results in student performance were achieved and documented.
1994 Campaign
Linda received 49.5% of the votes in the race for Oklahoma State Superintendent and was appointed by Governor Keating as Secretary of Education.
%
Won 49.5% of the Vote
1995 Appointment
Linda served as an Education Advisor to Governor Keating in 1995. The Oklahoma legislature repealed OBE-Outcomes Based Education from the state law that same year. Linda Campaigned against Outcomes Based Education.
Commissioner of Labor Brenda Reneau, appointed Murphy to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Labor for Workforce Education and Training, the School-to-Work Council and to the position of Administrator of the Eastern Division of the Department of Labor.
2014 Common Core Repealed
In 2014 Linda helped lead the repeal of Common Core State Standards from Oklahoma Law. Then she was asked to travel to other states to speak about Common Core. Click here to Read an Article Written by Linda Murphy July 3rd, 2013 in NewsOK.com
Partner in GPS
GPS is a public policy consulting group providing solutions to grow Oklahoma’s prosperity through smaller government and local control such as research on the loss of local property taxes. Linda’s work has taken her from providing solutions for farmers and ranchers dealing with their industry to advising state legislators on the intent of the Enabling Act regarding the use of revenues of the School Land Fund.
Public Education relies on funding from local property or ad valorem tax and the revenue from School Land. Her appreciation for the rural development of our state will benefit the students and communities that support agriculture programs in schools such as 4-H and FFA. Her knowledge in all of these areas will benefit Oklahoma’s Public Schools.
Filing
