Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Providing the best quality education for our state's students should be our top priority. While funding is certainly a part of that, we already spend over half of the entire state budget on education. I think it is more important that we look at how those funds are spent and work to reduce administrative overhead and make sure that as many dollars as possible actually make their way into the classroom. We also need to be supporting our top teachers through merit pay.

I also believe that we need to give our students the best chance to succeed with the highest quality education. Over the years, the liberal educational establishment has "dumbed down" our state standards, helping test scores look better but leaving far too many students unprepared for the future. (According to the State Regents for Higher Education, nearly 40 percent of Oklahoma college students must take some kind of remedial class before they can handle college-level material.). We MUST promote math, science, technology, and engineering in our schools. We need rigorous state educational standards to prepare our students and we need to hold our schools and state educational leaders accountable for preparing our students for the future in Oklahoma. And we should continue seeking creative avenues, including school vouchers, to provide the best opportunities for Oklahoma students.

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