We’ve reached the final days of the campaign and, as you’ve probably noticed, the attack ads have started. It is unfortunate and sad that my opponent has decided to resort to attack ads that are both false and intentionally misleading to close the campaign. Oklahoma voters deserve better.

My opponent’s negative ads won’t teach one child to read. They won’t improve one school. And they won’t prepare one student for college.

A child’s future is too important to trust to a politician who would rather issue false attacks than provide a vision for schools.

I believe it’s time for real reform that will get results. That’s my commitment to you.

I will finish this race the way I started, sharing my enthusiasm for helping Oklahoma children and telling voters about my record of positive reform that gets results. I trust the good judgment of the voters.

As we finish the race, I need your help! To volunteer to work on our campaign, call our headquarters at 405-525-KIDS (5437). To host a reception or obtain yard signs or bumper stickers, go to http://www.janetbarresi.com/join. Contribute to the campaign, go to. And don’t forget to tell your friends and family about this race, and feel free to forward our newsletter to people.

Thank you for your support. Together, we are going to win and make a better future for all Oklahoma children!

Hopefully you’ve seen my new ad, which includes several students who attended Harding Charter Preparatory High School. I think it turned out well, and I am truly excited by the opportunity to highlight some of Harding’s student success stories.

To view the ad, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDoszLJQNq4

To see some behind-the-scenes photos from the day we shot the commercial, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetbarresi/.

Education is about changing students’ lives and creating opportunity. Throughout this campaign, I have stressed that a quality education creates an enduring legacy for our children. Recently, that point hit home in a very personal way when I was contacted by Jimmy Carter, who I had known when he was just a boy. His story means a lot to me, so I’ll let you read it in his own words.

Janet Barresi was a Speech Therapist at Harrah Elementary School (now Russell Babb Elementary) when I first met her. I was a shy boy with a big problem – I had a severe speech impediment, one so bad that I had a terrible time communicating with anyone. That was before Mrs. Barresi stepped into my life.

She didn’t see me as just another student, but as a young boy who needed her concern and training to help overcome m y impediment. Mrs. Barresi was the single biggest difference in my education. She not only worked to correct my speech problem – she motivated and inspired me to dare to dream big dreams and work hard to achieve them.

Many years passed between those boyhood days at Harrah Elementary and today. I had never forgotten this very special teacher – Mrs. Barresi – and had longed for the day our paths might cross so I could give her a big hug and say thank you. That day came last month!

I had noticed some newspaper articles and then a television ad about one of the candidates running for State Superintendent. I wondered– could this be the same Janet Barresi I had known as a boy. I called the campaign office and was excited to find out that, in fact, it was my Mrs. Barresi!

I asked if she would have time to meet me and my family so I could personally thank her for the impact she had on my life. And, do you want to know where we gathered? Back on the playground of that very elementary school where this story began!

Today, I enjoy a successful career as a retail manager for Kraft Foods and have been happily married for 23 years. My wife and I have two wonderful daughters who are also the proud graduates of Harrah Public Schools. Our oldest is serving in the United States Navy and our youngest is going to college in Kansas on a basketball scholarship.

I am just one of what I am certain are literally hundreds, maybe thousands, who have been profoundly influenced by the passion for education and the love of students that characterizes Janet Barresi. She has done many, many successful things in her life – but the one I am most grateful for is the hours of extra time she took with a small boy named Jimmy Carter.

Thank you, Mrs. Barresi. You have four votes from the Carter family and we pray you are successful in your campaign to be our next State Schools Superintendent. You’ll make a great leader for public education in Oklahoma!

In addition to electing a new State Superintendent this year, Oklahoma voters will face another major education decision when they vote on State Question 744. If approved, it would require state spending on public schools to increase to the regional average over three years.

Although I am a strong supporter of our public school system, I cannot support this measure. I believe our next State Superintendent must provide the leadership necessary to improve our schools, and that includes taking a stand on issues even when the politically expedient response is to stay silent. Oklahomans deserve to know where their next State Superintendent stands on SQ 744, and why.

I will be voting against State Question 744 for several reasons. First, I am opposed to unfunded mandates, and SQ 744 would be one of the biggest unfunded mandates in Oklahoma history. One independent analysis predicts it will cost an additional $1.7 billion once fully implemented.

Because SQ 744 has no funding plan, the Legislature would have to choose between massive cuts to other parts of government, massive tax increases, or a combination of both. A legislative study found that paying for SQ 744 would require income or sales tax increases as great as 40 percent, or 20-percent across-the-board budget cuts to other agencies. And those figures were based on a price tag of just $850 million, not the $1.7 billion now projected.

The potential budget cuts would actually devastate some important areas of education. Early childhood programs could be eliminated, harming low-income children. CareerTech programs could be cut, reducing access to hands-on learning that opens the doors to future employment. Cuts to higher education could force tuition increases of as much as 20 percent per year for the next three years, making college unaffordable for Oklahomans.

Furthermore, there is no requirement for the extra $1.7 billion to actually go into the classroom. Oklahomans would simply be handed a massive check with no invoice showing where the money will be spent.

Ironically, SQ 744’s only specific provision says the money cannot be used for one area of need. Although many schools struggle to maintain buildings, SQ 744 declares the new money cannot be used for capital expenses. So even if State Question 744 passes and your taxes skyrocket, you may still have to approve additional bonds and increase property tax payments to maintain infrastructure.

SQ 744 is simply bad policy. It would create an enormous financial burden on all Oklahomans. It would endanger other areas of government such as roads and prisons and even many education programs.

Instead of providing a plan of action, SQ 744 substitutes hype for vision and empty slogans for leadership. We can do much, much better.

I encourage you to join in me voting against SQ 744.

One of the things I enjoy most about campaigning is the chance to meet individuals with young children. When you boil it down, this race is about those parents and those kids. A good school system can help parents realize their dreams for their children, and a good school system can provide today’s five-year olds the opportunity to achieve their full potential as adults.

Every parent wants his or her children to have a better life, and we all want the next generation of Oklahomans to have greater opportunities than we did.

My goal as State Superintendent will be to reform our school system so it provides every child the chance to succeed…and I do mean EVERY child.

I recently spoke to two groups representing children who face enormous challenges but share those same goals. At two forums, one held by the Sooner Start Inter-Agency Coordinating Council and another jointly sponsored by the United Way of Central Oklahoma, Red Rock Behavioral Health Service and the Folds of Honor Foundation, I visited with professionals and families about the challenges faced by children with special needs and mental health issues.

For parents whose children have severe disabilities, their most terrifying thought is that their kids will someday be left on their own, alone in the world without adequate preparation. I am committed to making our schools a place where those children are given a quality education that prepares them for the rest of their life.

As the mother of two sons who were placed on individualized education plans (IEPs) because of learning disabilities, I know how important it is to provide schools the flexibility to help those students learn just as much as other children.

Today, I am proud to say my son Ben is a college graduate and Joe is in the process of finishing his bachelor’s degree.

As I have often said, I don’t believe in excuses. I believe in results. And as your State Superintendent, I will work to provide a quality education to every child in Oklahoma, no matter what individual challenges each may face. We owe them nothing less.

It’s hard to believe, but it’s now less than 40 days until the November election. The pace on the campaign trail, while it was never slow to start with, is gaining speed and will only get faster. I promise you that I will not let up in the days ahead, and I certainly won’t be outworked in this election.

However, I can’t do this alone. I need your help. Volunteers are the lifeblood of any campaign, but especially campaigns for “down ballot” offices such as State Superintendent. Each Monday evening we have volunteer night at the campaign office. If you can spare the time, I would certainly appreciate your help, and we can definitely use it.

We have a saying at headquarters: “Campaigning is an extreme sport.” The inner workings of a successful campaign are characterized by hard work, long hours and attention to the small details. Glossy mailers and TV ads are important, but running an effective ground game is just as important, and we cannot do that work without a dedicated band of volunteers.

To those who have already contributed time and financial support, thank you! To those who have thought about getting involved in a campaign, now is the time to do it. These final days are crucial, and there is still much work ahead.

This campaign is not simply about winning an office; it’s about improving our schools and creating a better future for all of Oklahoma’s children.

If you want to be part of that effort, please contact us at 405.525.KIDS (5437) or at jennifer@janetbarresi.com, and thank you again for your support.

As a founder of two schools, Independence Charter Middle School and Harding Charter Preparatory High School, I am obviously a strong supporter of the charter-school concept, which is why you may be surprised to hear that my best day will be when they close the last charter school due to lack of interest.

My mission is not to turn every school in Oklahoma into a charter school, but to make every local school a parent’s first and best choice for their children.

I want to take the lessons learned from charter schools and apply them to the rest of our system.

For those who may not be familiar with charter schools, they are public schools. The difference between charter schools and traditional schools is that charter schools sign a contract with a sponsoring entity that sets specific contractual goals. Basically, we measure student performance, and if a charter school fails to teach children, its contract is revoked and the doors to the school are closed. As a result, charter schools operate with high levels of accountability.

In exchange, charter schools receive more flexibility and operate free from much of the red tape that strangles innovation at other districts.

At Harding Charter Preparatory High School, there is no admissions test to get in, no screening process. A child must simply live in the Oklahoma City school district; otherwise, admittance is first come, first serve. We do not “cherry pick” the best students from surrounding districts. In fact, many students in charter schools are from low-income backgrounds and enter charter schools performing below grade-level. At Harding, for example, more than 75 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches.

The success of charter schools is the result of that combination of greater accountability and increased flexibility.

My goal as State Superintendent will be to provide all schools the tools that have worked in charter schools. The most important lesson I’ve learned from my work at charter schools is that when you increase local control, when you increase the opportunity for parents to participate, you improve the educational process for all students.

If we lift mandates and let local communities and educators work together to improve local schools, I know we will get amazing results.

My campaign has had another busy week with stops in Lawton, Altus, Glenpool and Sapulpa, and we will continue traveling the state in the week ahead. Occasionally, I am asked why I am putting so much effort into this race. After all, people say, this is supposed to be a “Republican year.” The answer is simple. I will take nothing for granted in this race. No election result is pre-ordained, and no one’s vote should ever be taken for granted.

The citizens of Oklahoma deserve a real choice in this election and a candidate who will take the time to meet with them and ask for their support. Regardless of party affiliation, good Oklahomans have good ideas and high expectations for our students. I am proud of my conservative beliefs, but I know no party has a lock on good ideas. Even though it is a “Republican year” I hope Oklahomans of all political backgrounds join in my campaign to create the best public school system we can.

Your decision this November could affect our children for generations, so I will do everything I can to share my vision for Oklahoma’s schools with you and citizens all across this state. A candidate who doesn’t work hard doesn’t deserve your vote. After all, an individual who won’t put in long hours to win an election will probably take the same approach to the actual job once he or she is in office.

In the same way, I hope those of you who support my candidacy will not be content to sit back and simply wait for November. Tell your friends about me, direct them to my Web site, send them my newsletter. Only by working hard and working together can we win this race.

I want my campaign to be worthy of the people of Oklahoma. I want the best for our schools and am proud of my plan for improving education. I will gladly and eagerly share my views with voters and work to build support in every corner of Oklahoma from now until November. You deserve nothing less.

I look forward to meeting many more of you in the weeks ahead, and I thank you for your support.