Governor candidates Mary Fallin and Jari Askins discuss education in Tulsa Monday

TULSA - The candidates for governor and state superintendent were in Tulsa Monday talking about early childhood education.

2News caught up with the candidates, who all said keeping early childhood education strong in Oklahoma is a priority. It just faces a few road blocks with budget cuts.

Question after question, the candidates laid out their plans for the future of early childhood education in the state.

Educators had the chance at the forum to compare the candidates' views as they tackled the challenge of balancing the budget and investing in education.

"I think the whole state as a whole is really worried about keeping our momentum going. And keeping the money where it needs to be, so that we can keep it out of the back end and put it on the front end where it's really important," said Caren Calhoun, executive director of Tulsa Educare.

The forum's backdrop was at one of three Educare centers in Oklahoma. This public-private partnership in early childhood education is viewed by many as a model for the future.

U.S Representative Mary Fallin is running on the Republican ticket for governor. "This is a great example of how we can target our money to get the most bang for our buck, helping prepare our children for starting their educational school system," Fallin said.

She says the state has to find money already in the budget to support education. "I'm interested in how can we spend our money the most effectively, and get the best results for the education system. As we do that, hopefully we'll be able to stretch our dollars even further, because the reality is, these are tough economic times for our state," she said.

Her opponent, Democratic Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, also has her eye on the budget.

"There may still be some pockets where programs are similar, where maybe we can maximize dollars and put them together. When we do that, it gives us a better opportunity to point out where our priorities are, like early childhood education, like public education," Askins said.

Askins believes more money needs to reach into the classrooms. "If we don't invest in the children of Oklahoma, we can't ask business and industry to invest in this state as well," she said.

Educators we spoke with hope the next governor doesn't let budget woes stall the progress of education.  For more information on the candidates, you can visit the associated links.

Candidates for governor:
www.maryfallin.org
www.jariaskins.com

Candidates for state superintendent:
www.janetbarresi.com
votepaddack.com