Oklahoma City Public Schools elections (2015)
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One seat on the Oklahoma City Public Schools school board was scheduled for general election on February 10, 2015. Jay Means and William Lee Molden both filed to run against District 6 incumbent Gloria Torres. However, both Means and Molden withdrew from the race on December 5, 2014. The election was canceled as Torres was ultimately unopposed in the race.[1]
While the school board election did not advance to the ballot, a number of other issues were facing the district in 2015 including an investigation of racial discrimination and an American Indian mascot name change that led to a protest by students.
About the district
- See also: Oklahoma City Public Schools, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City Public Schools is located in Oklahoma County in central Oklahoma. Oklahoma City is the county seat as well as the capital of Oklahoma. The county was home to an estimated 755,245 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau.[2] Oklahoma City Public Schools was the largest school district in Oklahoma, serving 42,989 students during the 2010-2011 school year.[3]
Demographics
Oklahoma County outperformed the rest of Oklahoma in terms of higher education achievement and median household income in 2012. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.3 percent of its residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 23.2 percent for Oklahoma as a whole. The median household income in the county was $45,082 compared to $44,891 for the state of Oklahoma. The poverty rate in Oklahoma County was 17.8 percent compared to 16.6 percent for the entire state.[2]
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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.
Voter and candidate information
The Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education consists of eight members elected to four-year terms. Seven members are elected by geographic electoral districts while the chair is an at-large seat. There was no primary election, and the general election for the District 6 seat was scheduled for February 10, 2015.[5]
Candidates began to file affidavits of candidacy on December 1, 2014. The filing deadline for school board candidates to get on the ballot in the general election was December 3, 2014. The election was canceled after all but one candidate withdrew from the race.[5]
Elections
2015
Candidates
District 6
- Gloria Torres
- Incumbent, appointed August 2014
- Jay Means - Withdrew
- Former officeholder
- William Lee Molden - Withdrew
Election results
The election was canceled due to a lack of opposition in the race, and Torres was automatically elected.
Endorsements
There were no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.[6]
Past elections
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2014District 5Ruth Veales won the District 5 seat by default as she was the only candidate to file for election. District 7
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What was at stake?
2015
While residents did not see any school board races advance to the ballot in 2015, the district was under investigation by the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights following three complaints of racial discrimination against black and Hispanic students. A decision to change one high school's mascot from an American Indian reference drew a mixed response from students and the community. Additionally, the district may see some extra state aid following the discovery of a miscalculation of an ad valorem tax.
Issues in the district
Racial discrimination investigation
At the school board meeting on December 8, 2014, Superintendent Rob Neu disclosed that the district was being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The district was accused of not providing equal opportunities to male and female students as well as discrimination and retaliation against black, Hispanic and alternative education placed students.[7]
Neu pointed out that 60 percent of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunches in the district test as proficient readers in grades 3-8 in the district compared to 49 percent of black students. He stated:
| “ | When you go deep into the data you’ll see that it is more of a factor to be African-American in your performance levels here in Oklahoma City than it is to be in poverty. Students in poverty are outperforming students that are African-American. If you’re African-American and you’re in poverty, you have a double dip.[8] | ” |
| —Superintendent Rob Neu (2015)[7] | ||
He also highlighted the higher rates of disciplinary action taken against black and Hispanic male students compared to their white counterparts.[7]
Mascot change
In December 2014, the school board voted to change the school mascot of Capital Hill High School. The school's mascot had been the Capitol Hill Redskins. A local student club called the American Indian Organization had expressed interest in appearing before the board to ask for the mascot to be removed. The board heard from the district's Centennial group and the district's administrator for American Indian student services before unanimously voting to change the mascot.[9]
A committee of students, alumni and community members was formed to choose a new mascot for Capitol Hill High School by the end of the spring semester.[10] Students and community members, however, did not express unanimous support for the change. On December 10, 2014, some students left class to protest the change. In response the protest, the district released this statement:[11]
| “ | This morning Capitol Hill High School students respectfully voiced their concerns of the Oklahoma City Public School District Board of Education’s decision to identify a new mascot for the school. Oklahoma City Public School District administration is proud of our students and support their decision to protest the Board of Education’s vote. This is an emotional issue for everyone involved and requires heartfelt and open conversations moving forward. Current and former Capitol Hill High School students will have an active role and strong voice in the process moving forward, and the District’s Native American Student Services Department will work with the student body and the community on providing additional information on the history of the term “Redskins”. Our goal is to be supportive of our students and respectful to the community during this process.[8] | ” |
| —Tierney Tinnin, OKCPS Communications Officer (2014)[11] | ||
Oklahoma City Public Schools was not the only district among Oklahoma's largest to engage in the debate of the term "redskins" in 2014. Union Public Schools defended the use of the term for its high school mascot following national media attention of trademark cancellations for the Washington NFL team.
Ultimately, students choose "RedWolves" as their new mascot in May 2015. The estimated cost of transitioning to a new the new mascot was $260,000, and the district stated they were in contact with organizations like the Oklahoma Indian Nations in regards to sponsoring the transition.[12]
Miscalculated tax revenue
Oklahoma City Public Schools was set to recover approximately $2 million in state aid due to a miscalculation in state funding from ad valorem tax revenues since 1992. Across the state, districts could see a total of $18 million in state aid that was missed due to the improper application of legally required funding. The ad valorem tax is a local property tax on commercial personal property and agricultural personal property.[13]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for the election in 2015:[5][14]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| December 1-3, 2014 | Candidate filing period |
| January 16, 2015 | Voter registration closes |
| February 4, 2015 | Absentee ballot request deadline |
| February 5-6, 2015 | Early voting period |
| February 10, 2015 | General election date |
| April 30, 2015 | Campaign finance report deadline |
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Oklahoma elections, 2015
The statewide annual school election date was February 10, 2015. No other offices were scheduled for election on that date.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Oklahoma City Public Schools. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Oklahoma City Public Schools | Oklahoma | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Margaret Koenig, "Mail correspondence with Oklahoma County Election Board," December 5, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 United States Census Bureau, "Oklahoma County, Oklahoma," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed January 15, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Voter Registration Reports," accessed December 12, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Oklahoma State Elections Board, "2015 Election Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Campaign Reporting Systems," accessed February 2, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Oklahoman, "Oklahoma City Public School superintendent reveals federal investigation alleging racial discrimination against black, Hispanic students," December 15, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Oklahoman, "Why Oklahoma City Public Schools chose now to do away with the Redskins nickname," December 14, 2014
- ↑ KFOR.com, "Oklahoma City high school to get new mascot," December 8, 2014
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 KFOR.com, "Update: Students, alumni protest change to Capitol Hill mascot," December 10, 2014
- ↑ KOCO.com, "Capitol Hill High School's new mascot will be the RedWolves," May 22, 2015
- ↑ The Oklahoman, "Oklahoma school districts stand to recover millions in lost tax revenue because of misapplied law," December 19, 2014
- ↑ Oklahoma Ethics Commission, "Reporting Calendar," accessed December 5, 2014
| 2015 Oklahoma City Public Schools Elections | |
| Oklahoma County, Oklahoma | |
| Election date: | February 10, 2015 - Canceled |
| Candidates: | District 6: • Incumbent, Gloria Torres |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
