By Allan Wall

Oklahoma has a statewide office, an elected post called the Superintendent of Public Instruction. That office is not to be confused with the Secretary of Education, an appointed cabinet post. Currently, both of those positions are occupied by the same person, Lindel Fields, who was appointed to both by Governor Stitt! Fields was appointed to the Superintendent position following the resignation of Superintendent Ryan Walters, and did not file to run for the

office this year. So, there will be a new Superintendent come January.

The November 3rd election for Superintendent of Public Instruction pits Democrat turned Republican Robert Franklin against Democrat Jennettie Marshall. There are many questions concerning Franklin.

Does Franklin support “D-E-I” (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)? In a debate, Franklin said “That’s kind of a Biblical principle. Treat each other like you want to be treated yourself.” But, in an interview, Franklin said “The D-E-I that has been foisted on our country, largely from bureaucratic standpoint, and largely from a place that divided us rather than bring us together, and so, no, I have no agenda to try and support that.”

Which is it? Franklin doesn’t inspire much confidence among conservatives.

It’s absolutely essential to elect Mike Mazzei as Governor. Cyndi Munson may be the most liberal general election candidate for governor in Oklahoma history.

Concerning education, Munson wants to eliminate the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program that helps parents cover tuition and fees at private schools. She wants to put all the money into the public schools and not give parents an option.

As a public school teacher myself, I wish the best for Oklahoma schools, and of course, I’d like a pay raise. But when we talk about education, there’s a lot of rhetorical fog we have to cut through.

Cyndi Munson says Oklahoma needs to spend more money on the public schools. But K-12 education already receives almost half the state’s budget. But it’s never enough for people like Munson. How much of that goes to administrators not teachers? Did you know that the superintendent of Tulsa schools makes more money than the governor of Oklahoma?

Certainly, a limited government/libertarian case can be made for the complete abolition of public education. But it’s not realistic to expect that any time in the foreseeable future. It’s not a vote-getter.

Public education has existed in this country since colonial times. The first tax-supported public school was established in 1643 in Dedham, Massachusetts.

In Oklahoma, the public school is an important element of small-town culture. For some small towns, it’s the main form of civic identity they have.

As conservatives we can’t ignore public schools and we have to be involved in public school policy. Because if we aren’t involved, the liberals will certainly be.

No matter what your goals are for public education there are societal factors that are going to stymie your good intentions.

School is an extension of society. Many societal problems are going to affect education. Think of all the factors influencing education which are out of control of the schools.

There’s the IQ (intelligence quotient) of the students themselves.

There’s the home life of students. The contemporary family is plagued by divorce, family disintegration and various irregular living arrangements. Teachers have to deal with this. “I left my homework at my dad’s house,” has joined the litany of excuses along with “The dog ate my homework.”

Students have different abilities, different interests and different goals. Some have no goals at all. Many have parents who aren’t paying much attention to their children’s education.

It’s what we have to work with and it’s not fair to blame public schools for all of this. Ambitious school reformers of both the right and the left talk as if they can flick the switch and all will be better. But we’re dealing with society as it is today.

Nevertheless, let’s not despair. There are some basic, non-partisan things we can do to improve public education.

First, we need to defend school choice and promote the many options students have for education today. For the majority of students who remain in regular public schools, we need to do what we can to improve academic standards.

The Mazzei campaign has pledged to prioritize reading and that’s good. If you can’t read, how can you study science or history? The basics (reading, writing and arithmetic) must be prioritized in early elementary school or the kids will struggle or just give up as their school career progresses.

In Civics education, our students need better understanding of the Constitution and American government. History should teach them what our ancestors had to do to build this country and why they should appreciate them.

Technology? The need for technology is greatly exaggerated. We don’t need the latest gizmos to teach today’s kids, who already know more about new technology than many of their teachers!

Finally, we have to recognize the importance of local school districts. Oklahoma school districts have a lot of authority, to set their own curriculum, for example.

What’s really needed is an army of conservatives running for school board positions throughout the state. That could really affect public education. How many readers of the Oklahoma Constitution would be interested in doing that in their local communities? At least think about it.