Oklahoma school board elections, 2015
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A total of 13 Oklahoma school districts among America's largest school districts by enrollment held elections for 14 seats in 2015. None of the districts held primary elections, and all of the general elections were held February 10, 2015.
Here are several quick facts about Oklahoma's school board elections in 2015:
- The largest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Oklahoma City Public Schools with 44,720 K-12 students.
- The smallest school district by enrollment with an election in 2015 was Owasso Public Schools with 9,321 K-12 students.
- Union Public Schools had the most seats up for election in 2015 with two seats on the ballot.
- The other 12 districts had just one seat up for election in 2015.
The districts listed below served 258,524 K-12 students during the 2012-2013 school year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.[1] Click on the district names for more information on the district and its school board elections.
| 2015 Oklahoma School Board Elections | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Date | Seats up for election | Total board seats | Student enrollment |
| Broken Arrow Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 17,207 |
| Edmond Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 22,489 |
| Jenks Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 10,906 |
| Lawton Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 15,684 |
| Midwest City-Del City Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 14,680 |
| Moore Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 23,173 |
| Mustang Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 9,584 |
| Norman Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 15,129 |
| Oklahoma City Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 8 | 44,720 |
| Owasso Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 9,321 |
| Putnam City Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 5 | 19,257 |
| Tulsa Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 1 | 7 | 41,076 |
| Union Public Schools | 2/10/2015 | 2 | 5 | 15,298 |
Trends in Oklahoma school board elections[edit]
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
School board elections held in Oklahoma's largest school districts in 2015 attracted fewer candidates than the elections held in 2014. The 2015 elections also had fewer newcomers elected to school boards compared to the 2014 elections. Neither year saw much competition, however, as more than half of the seats on the ballot went unopposed in both 2014 and 2015. A total of 85.71 percent of seats went unopposed in 2015, and 62.50 percent of seats on the ballot in 2014 went unchallenged.
The following sections analyze competitiveness and incumbency advantage in Oklahoma's school board elections. These districts did not utilize primary elections, but runoff elections were possible as the state required candidates to receive a majority of the votes cast. All of the school board elections held in the state in 2014 and 2015 were nonpartisan.
Details of the data discussed here can be found in the table below.
Competitiveness[edit]
In 2015, Oklahoma's largest school districts attracted an average of 1.14 candidates per seat on the ballot. This was lower than the average 1.31 candidates who ran in the state's 2014 school board elections. Twelve of the 14 seats up for election in 2015 were unopposed, and in 2014, 10 of 16 seats on the ballot went unchallenged.
Unopposed races[edit]
Of the 14 seats up for election in 2015, only two saw contested races. The 12 uncontested races did not appear on the ballot.
| Oklahoma unopposed races | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats |
Unopposed seats |
Percent unopposed | |
| 2015 | 14 | 12 | 85.7% | |
| 2014 | 16 | 10 | 62.5% | |
Oklahoma's school board elections have a history of low competition. Of the 13 largest school districts in Oklahoma, only seven held elections in 2014 or 2013. Owasso Public Schools had a particularly long history of unopposed races with its last contested race occurring in 2006.
No candidate races[edit]
In 2015, there were no school board seats up for election that did not see at least one candidate file for the race.
In 2014, one seat failed to garner any candidates for the general election. The seat on the Union Public Schools Board of Education was filled by an appointment of the remaining board members.
Incumbency advantage[edit]
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Twelve of the 14 incumbents whose seats were on the ballot in 2015 ran for re-election, and all 12 of them retained their seats. One of those incumbents defeated a challenger to win re-election; the others were unopposed in the bids to keep their seats. Fewer incumbents ran to retain their seats in the 2014 school board elections. Sixteen seats were on the ballot, and 10 incumbents ran to keep them, a total of 62.50 percent. Eight of those incumbents won re-election, seven of which ran unopposed. The map below details the success rates for incumbents who ran in the 2015 school board elections that were held in the largest school districts by enrollment in the U.S.
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Runoff prevalence[edit]
| Oklahoma runoff prevalence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Possible | Actual | ||
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | ||
Candidates must secure votes totaling 50 percent plus one to win school board elections in Oklahoma. If no candidate secures a majority in the general election, the top two vote recipients advance to a runoff election.
In 2014, only one race advanced to a runoff election. In 2015, no district had more than two candidates running for any one board position, which made a runoff election unnecessary.
Data table[edit]
The table below displays the statistics for school board elections in Oklahoma's largest school districts from 2014 to 2015.
| Oklahoma school board elections, 2014-2015 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Incumbents | ||||||||
| Seats up | Candidates | Candidates/ seat |
Unopposed seats | % unopposed | % seats won by newcomers | Sought re-election | Unopposed | Retained | % retained | |
| 2015 | 14 | 16 | 1.14 | 12 | 85.71% | 14.29% | 12 | 11 | 12 | 100.00% |
| 2014 | 16 | 21 | 1.31 | 10 | 62.50% | 43.75% | 10 | 7 | 8 | 80.00% |
Spotlight districts[edit]
While the number of school board candidates for Oklahoma's largest districts were few, there was no shortage of noteworthy events both on and off the ballot in 2015. Bond issues, superintendent searches and student identification policies were just some of the issues facing boards, students and residents of these districts. The sections below highlight just a few of the top issues in Oklahoma's biggest districts going into 2015.
Edmond Public Schools[edit]
With just two candidates seeking the open District 5 school board seat, the Edmond Public Schools Board of Education was guaranteed to see a new face following the 2015 general election. District residents also authorized two separate bond propositions for a total of $90.66 million in bonds.
Two bond issues appeared on the ballot on February 10, 2015. The school board approved the placement of the questions to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds for the school district on the ballot at their December 8, 2014, meeting.[2][3]
The propositions issued a total $90.66 million in bonds. Proposition No. 1 issued $88.66 million in bonds for various school property improvements. Proposition No. 2 issued $2 million to purchase transportation equipment, such as buses. Both propositions will bear interest not to exceed the rate of 10 percent annually and will become due serially within five years from their date.[3]
Moore Public Schools[edit]
With incumbent Karen Shuey and challenger Bryan Kerr both seeking the District 5 school board seat, the Moore Public Schools Board of Education could have seen a returning or new face on its board following the 2015 general election. In addition to the school board election, the district also saw the implementation of a new student identification procedure for high schools students.
On January 6, 2015, the district began implementing and enforcing a new set of student identification badge procedures for high school students. The policy requires that students wear and display their student identification badges upon arriving to campus. Students who do not do so face the following disciplinary actions including out-of-school suspensions.
In a letter addressed to parents and guardians of students in the district regarding the policy, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and Instruction Brad Fernberg stated the "proper wearing and displaying of identification badges will allow school personnel and campus resource officers to identify which individuals are approved to be on campus."[4]
Tulsa Public Schools[edit]
While no election was held for the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education, voters still faced a decision about a $415 million bond issue on March 3, 2015. At the same time, the district sought a replacement for retiring superintendent Keith Ballard.
Bond proposition[edit]
In December 2014, the board of education voted to place four bond issue questions before district voters. The bonds, called 2015 SMART START, were approved by voters on March 3, 2015, to issued $145 million in bonds focusing on capital improvement projects.[5]
Specifically, the bond provided $239.7 million in building and facilities construction and repairs, $19.8 million toward library additions, renovations and materials, about $17 million toward transportation and $138.4 million in textbooks and classroom learning materials, which includes $39.5 million in classroom computers.[5]
Superintendent hiring[edit]
Over two dozen applicants sought to replace Keith Ballard who retired as the district's superintendent in June 2015. He was the superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools since 2008.[6] Dr. Deborah Gist, Commissioner of Education for the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, was offered the position on February 2, 2015, though not without some dissent about transparency in the selection process.[7][8]
Survey responses[edit]
Two of the 16 candidates running for a school board seat in Oklahoma's largest school districts in the 2015 elections responded to Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey. The following sections display their answers to questions about top priorities and education issues.
Top priorities[edit]
When asked what her top priority would be if elected, Karen Shuey, District 5 incumbent on the Moore Public Schools Board of Education, stated:
| “ | Safety is always a primary concern and always will be. We also need to look at student achievement and improving the classroom learning skills to prepare students for college, career tech, and the work force. We have 2 priorities for the district--Safety and Educating our students.[9] | ” |
| —Karen Shuey (2015)[10] | ||
Bryan Kerr, challenger for the District 5 seat on the Moore Public Schools Board of Education, said his top priorities would be:
| “ | Safety of the students should always be our top priority. Once that is assured, we should look at ways to keep and attract the best possible educators. We should do both of these things without increasing the financial burden on the citizens of Moore and South Oklahoma City.[9] | ” |
| —Bryan Kerr (2015)[11] | ||
Ranking the issues[edit]
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays the candidates' average rankings as well as the highest and lowest rankings for each issue.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | Average ranking | Highest ranking | Lowest ranking |
| Expanding arts education | 2.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Expanding career-technical education | 2.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Improving college readiness | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| Closing the achievement gap | 4.5 | 3 | 6 |
| Improving education for special needs students | 3.5 | 3 | 4 |
| Expanding school choice options | 2.5 | 1 | 4 |
Positions on the issues[edit]
The candidates were asked an additional 10 short answer and multiple choice questions regarding significant issues in education. Links to those responses can be found below.
State profile[edit]
| Demographic data for Oklahoma | ||
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 3,907,414 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 68,595 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 73.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 7.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 7.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 9.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 24.1% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $46,879 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 19.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Oklahoma. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern[edit]
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Oklahoma
Oklahoma voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
More Oklahoma coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Oklahoma
- United States congressional delegations from Oklahoma
- Public policy in Oklahoma
- Influencers in Oklahoma
- Oklahoma fact checks
- More...
Academic performance[edit]
| Education terms |
|---|
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| For more information on education policy terms, see this article. |
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- See also: Public education in Oklahoma
NAEP scores[edit]
- See also: NAEP scores by state
The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during the 2012-2013 school year. Compared to three neighboring states (Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri), Oklahoma had the smallest percentage of students score at or above proficient in all categories.[12]
| Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8 | |
| Oklahoma | 36% | 25% | 30% | 29% |
| Arkansas | 39% | 28% | 32% | 30% |
| Kansas | 48% | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Missouri | 39% | 33% | 35% | 36% |
| United States | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34% |
| Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables" | ||||
Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]
The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Oklahoma and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[12][13][14]
In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT and 1,498 out of a possible 2,400 for the SAT.[15]
Oklahoma schools reported a graduation rate of 84.8 percent, lowest among its neighboring states.
In Oklahoma, more students took the ACT than the SAT, earning an average ACT score of 20.8.
| Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Graduation rate, 2013 | Average ACT composite, 2013 | Average SAT composite, 2013 | ||||
| Percent | Quintile ranking** | Score | Participation rate | Score | Participation rate | ||
| Oklahoma | 84.8% | Second | 20.8 | 75% | 1,689 | 5% | |
| Arkansas | 84.9% | Second | 20.2 | 90% | 1,697 | 4% | |
| Kansas | 85.7% | Second | 21.8 | 75% | 1,752 | 6% | |
| Missouri | 85.7% | Second | 21.6 | 74% | 1,773 | 4% | |
| United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50% | ||
| **Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013" | |||||||
Dropout rate[edit]
- See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states
The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades 9–12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–11 and school year 2011–12. The event dropout rate for Oklahoma was lower than the national average at 2.5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[16]
See also[edit]
| Oklahoma | School Boards | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Edmond Public Schools, "Board Agenda Regular Meeting December 8, 2014," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondence with Lee Ann Kuhlman, Edmonds Board of Education President," December 9, 2014
- ↑ Facebook, "Moore Public Schools: Timeline Photo," December 15, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tulsa Public Schools, "2015 BOND PROPOSAL," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Tulsa Public Schools, "Supt. Biography," accessed January 19, 2014
- ↑ NewsOn6.com, "Tulsa School Board Hires Gist As Superintendent," February 3, 2015
- ↑ Providence Journal, "Raimondo to involve public in choosing Gist’s successor as R.I. education commissioner," February 3, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Karen Shuey's responses," January 23, 2015
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "Bryan Kerr's responses," January 7, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
- ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
- ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
- ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
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