In this year’s midterm elections, Oklahomans have already made up their minds on many of the candidates. But when it comes to the race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, things aren’t so cut and dry. The race for the head education position may be chosen by a group of still-undecided voters.
When the current state superintendent Janet Barresicame in third during this summer’s primary elections, it was clear Oklahomans wanted a change in public education. Democrat John Cox, superintendent ofPeggs Public Schools, and Republican Joy Hofmeister, a former public school teacher, are both hoping to provide that change, but with only two weeks to Election Day, nearly one in four voters still don’t know who should oversee kindergarten through 12th grade.
“I enjoyed both candidates, and I haven't decided just yet,” said Rashell Daughty, a mom of two public school children. Daughty was a panelist at Sunday’s candidate forum in Norman.
Both Cox and Hofmeister want to reevaluate the current A-F grading system and lessen high-stakes testing; those issues matter to Daughty, but she says report cards aren’t everything.
“I'm thinking about recruiting teachers. I’m thinking about pay. I'm thinking about classroom size,” she said.
Another Day, Another Forum
Hofmeister and Cox have debated publicly at least a dozen times during this campaign, and there are more to come before November 4th. They agree on some things. They both want to dump common core, and they talk about regaining trust with parents, but they differ on how to develop statewide standards. Cox wants to start from scratch.
“I actually plan on bringing teachers in who I believe are the experts in every area and every grade level and discipline; bring them in and allow us to put it on paper so that teachers across the state can have something in hand. I look forward to ” he said.
But Hofmeister says we should start by adopting proven measures in other areas.
“Let's not start with a blank sheet of paper,” she said. “Let's look at those states that have already produced the outcomes, begin examining those, look at our past standards, find where we need to bridge, and do this in an effective way quickly.”
“You're really setting up an race between two titans here who I think well represent their parties' brand of education reform, and it's going to come down to these undecideds,” said Bill Shapard, CEO of SoonerPoll, a statewide polling agency. According to a poll he conducted earlier this month, Cox and Hofmeister are within one percentage point of each other.
The Deciding Factor
Shapard says even though education has gotten a lot of attention this campaign season, it’s still a fairly obscure political post. That’s why voter turnout will be a major factor in deciding the race.
“When they get into the polling place, they will then rely on party affiliation, which sits right next to the candidate's name in making up their decision,” Shapard said.
After Sunday’s debate, Eugene Earsom talked to attendees about the candidates. He hopes people will be more informed about their choices instead of just voting along party lines.
Earsom is a 5th-generation Oklahoma teacher and says education is one area where the state can make major strides, so he’s hitting the books before Election Day.
“It's just going to take awhile to digest. I know I only have two weeks left, but I'll be doing some more reading, and it won't be a coin flip,” Earsom said. “It'll be something on which I decide based upon what I think that person can accomplish in that position as state superintendent.”
Earsom says both candidates have a lot to offer, so he isn’t choosing between the lesser of two evils.
And while Hofmeister is ahead of her opponent now, there are some statistics that favor Cox in this race. SoonerPoll’s Bill Shapard says almost two-thirds of undecided voters are female, a demographic that traditionally leans toward the Democratic Party.
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