Cornett Answers Questions About Education During Stop In El Reno

Early voting begins for runoff elections, and candidates for governor were busy pounding the pavement. Thursday, the campaign trail took Mick Cornett to El Reno where he talked education.

Like most communities in Oklahoma, folks in El Reno are concerned about education. Specifically, teacher pay, filling vacant teaching positions and school funding.

Cornett says decisions about consolidation and spending should be made on the local level. He says diversifying the economy will better fund education, but he says increased state spending may not be the answer.

"It's easy to say we've gotta [sic] keep throwing more money at things and to me that's not the answer. The answer is to have a higher expectation on education,” said Cornett.

El Reno Schools Superintendent Craig McVay agrees local decisions should be made locally. As for who would make the best governor, McVay says any of the candidates Republican or Democrat, are better than what we have now.

"Any of these guys are going to be that guy that says we're going to be present and we're going to take an active role,” said McVay. “And I think the last few years we've seen what happens when there is no leadership at the top."

Read Also: Mick Cornett Meets With Friendly Crowd At Guthrie Diner

News 9 and News On 6 will feature stories on the Stitt and Cornett campaigns leading up to the runoff election on August 28, 2018.