School Boards are the most localized elections in Oklahoma, and are crucial for the success of our public schools. Oklahomans in many public school districts across the state will be electing school board members in the April 5th election, and OKPLAC wants every parent to be a voting parent.
About Public School Boards
Your local public school board is responsible for hiring, supervising and evaluating the district superintendent, for establishing district policy, and for setting an overall vision for the district.
The board doesn’t run the school district. The board serves a governance role to ensure the district is financially sound and is serving the needs of the community.
Public school boards are made up of elected community members who have offered their time and talent to help the school district succeed. In Oklahoma, public school district board members do not receive a salary. Compensation is limited to $25 per meeting, with a maximum of $100 per month.
Serving on a school board is not about money. It’s about serving the community.
How to Identify a Strong School Board Candidate
Strong, viable public schools depend on parents voting for a strong candidate to serve on their local school board. Between now and election day, keep these tips in mind on how to identify a strong school board candidate:
Learn what you can about each candidate. Visit their website or social media pages. Attend a candidate forum or meeting, either in person or online. Don’t hesitate to reach out to candidates directly — a school board candidate that will be on your ballot is a neighbor in your community, they should welcome a conversation with you.
Determine each candidate’s connection to your school district. Is the candidate a parent or grandparent? A former educator? A business owner? Knowing a candidate’s stake in your local public schools will help you as a voter to better understand their goals and priorities.
Find out what motivated each candidate to run for school board. Do they want to serve because they love your district? Or are they looking to address a personal grievance or perceived problem?
Learn who is supporting or endorsing each candidate. Local, grassroots support is positive. Outside funding or expenditures from a separate political group is concerning.
Check your gut. As you do your research, you’ll pick up on each candidate’s demeanor and attitude. A school board is a team, and positive working relationships are important. Ask yourself:
Which candidate you would want to work with if you were a board member?
Which candidate you would want to speak with if you needed to address an issue in your district?
Which candidate would you want to collaborate with on a new initiative or program in your district?
Choose a Candidate and Vote
When parents are engaged in the election process, do their candidate research, and show up to vote for strong candidates, we can have the public schools we want for our children and our communities.
Keep track of what you learn about the candidates and choose the one you believe will be the best school board member. This can be hard since school board elections are so close to home, and most candidates are well-intentioned people who just want to help make a difference. But elections come down to a choice — so make your choice, and VOTE!
To learn what’s on the ballot in your county in the next election, click here. To review your voter registration and see a sample ballot, click here.
No matter how local the race, every vote matters. Every. One. Vote.