February 22, 2022
By News Director Jared Atha
A question and answer forum featuring two Republican candidates for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction was held Monday night inside the Elk City Convention Center.
The event, hosted by Western Oklahoma Patriots, saw two of the three challengers to current Superintendent Joy Hoffmeister attend and take questions regarding their views of the current state of education in Oklahoma and also gave a look at their vision for public education if elected.
Hot topics were discussed including Senate Bill 1627 which would give public education money to parents to pay for private or home school education. Dr. John Cox, who currently is the Superintendent of Peggs Public Schools, said although the bill is designed to promote the student – he can’t get behind it.
Candidate Ryan Walters, an educator from McAlester, said he does support the bill because ultimately it puts the student first.
The candidates discussed other topics including, among others, the current A-F grading system for schools, that both said needs adjusting.
Current Superintendent Hoffmeister intends to vacate the office and run for governor next fall. The primary election is scheduled for June 28, the if-needed runoff election is August 23 with the general election taking place on November 8.
Currently nobody has declared their intention to run for the office on the Democratic ticket.
The filing deadline is April 15.
Copyright 2022 Paragon Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
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