Republican Ryan Walters and Democrat Jena Nelson are vying to become Oklahoma’s next superintendent of public instruction, expected to be one of the closest races in the state. Nelson led the race in the latest KOCO poll by 4 points. She was Oklahoma’s 2020 Teacher of the Year and has been teaching for over a decade. Some of his top priorities during his campaign were to ensure public funds stay in public schools. Nelson is against school vouchers and said one of his biggest fears is seeing consolidations and school closures. She also wants to stop seeing teachers leave the profession and attack teacher salaries. “As someone who designed programs and worked on committees at the state and national level,” Nelson said. “I think I have a different perspective and a different energy that we’re going to bring to making sure that our public education system grows in Oklahoma and really addresses the issues that arise in the future.” Walters’ message during the race focused on keeping a liberal agenda out of Oklahoma schools. He argues that, if Democrats are elected, indoctrination will continue to grow in classrooms across the state. “Unfortunately, Joe Biden took his agenda and forced it on the states,” Walters said. “He himself injected this radical curriculum into our classrooms.” Walters, who is Oklahoma’s education secretary, also said students are taught sex education and critical race theory at a young age. Critics, including his opponent Nelson, said Walters had spent too much of this race reading from a national script.
Republican Ryan Walters and Democrat Jena Nelson are vying to become Oklahoma’s next superintendent of public instruction, expected to be one of the closest races in the state.
Nelson led the race in the latest KOCO poll by 4 points. She was Oklahoma’s 2020 Teacher of the Year and has been teaching for over a decade.
Some of his top priorities during his campaign were to ensure public funds stay in public schools.
Nelson is against school vouchers and said one of his biggest fears is seeing consolidations and school closures. She also wants to stop seeing teachers leave the profession and attack teacher salaries.
“As someone who designed programs and worked on committees at the state and national level,” Nelson said. “I think I have a different perspective and a different energy that we’re going to bring to making sure that our public education system grows in Oklahoma and really addresses the issues that arise in the future.”
Walters’ message during the race was to keep a liberal agenda out of Oklahoma schools.
He argues that, if Democrats are elected, indoctrination will continue to grow in classrooms across the state.
“Unfortunately, Joe Biden took his agenda and forced it on the states,” Walters said. “He himself injected this radical curriculum into our classrooms.”
Walters, who serves as Oklahoma’s secretary of education, also said students are taught sex education and critical race theory at a young age.
Critics, including his opponent Nelson, said Walters spent too much of that run reading a national script.