Wilcoxson Retires from Senate Seat, Returns to Classroom

State Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson announced Wednesday that she has retired from her seat in the upper chamber and is returning to her first callingeducation. Wilcoxson has accepted a position as a Title I elementary teacher in the Western Heights School District located in southwest Oklahoma City.

I am thrilled to be back in the classroom where I first began. Excellence in education is the key to a successful future for not only our children, but for our entire state, said Wilcoxson, R-Oklahoma City. Returning to teaching is a continuation of my public service, and I am grateful for this opportunity.

Wilcoxson is a former Oklahoma City Teacher of the Year and is a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. In 1982, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Advisory Council on Adult Basic Education, and in 1996, she followed in the footsteps of State Sen. Helen Cole, winning the District 45 seat. She served as Co-Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education during the 51st Legislature. Wilcoxson served the 12 years allowed under term limits. Her final term would have ended in November.

My experiences as an educator led me to public office where I fought for education reforms to improve student achievements in math, reading and science and to help more children complete high school, Wilcoxson said. In turn, that experience has led me back to the classroom. Ive come full-circle with new perspectives and a passion to make a difference through teaching.