(Update: This article was updated at 11:55 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 11, to reflect Alan Staab’s withdrawal from the Tulsa Public Schools board District 5 race.)
Tulsa County is home to some of the fastest-growing school districts in the state, but that doesn’t seem to translate into a hunger to create policy on school boards.
Several board seats are up for grabs across Tulsa and its suburbs, but in many cases the races featured just one candidate running unopposed.
Oklahoma’s 2024 election cycle for municipal and school board candidates who filed this week will feature a Tuesday, Feb. 13, primary for seats featuring more than two candidates. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2.
In school board races, Oklahoma state law dictates that contests featuring only two candidates head directly to the April general election.
City council races are governed by individual city charters. Here’s a look at selected races after the filing period ended Wednesday.
Tulsa Public Schools board of education
Three seats are up for grabs on the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education in the upcoming election but only one features three candidates.
Two candidates have filed to run for the District 2 seat on the board after incumbent Diamond Marshall decided not to run for another term:
- Calvin Moniz, 38; and
- Kandee Washington, 56.
Moniz is an attorney who volunteers for several Tulsa area nonprofits.
Elsewhere in the district, three candidates initially filed to run for the District 5 seat:
- John Croisant, 46;
- Teresa Pena, 58; and
- Alan Staab, 66.
Croisant is the incumbent first elected in 2020. He is a former teacher and coach and currently sells insurance. Pena is a lifelong educator and administrator. Staab works in the oil and gas industry.
Staab later withdrew from the race, meaning Croisant and Pena will head directly to the April 2 general election.
In District 6, Jerry Griffin is not running for reelection. Two candidates have filed to replace him:
- Sarah Smith, 46; and
- Maria Seidler, 68.
Smith is a longtime volunteer and board member of several Tulsa area nonprofits. Seidler is an attorney for Legal Overwatch for Parents School Rights.
Owasso school board filings
Two candidates are running for Owasso Public Schools Board of Education District 4:
- Brandon Shreffler, 42; and
- Brent England, 71.
England is the incumbent for District 4 and also serves as the school board president. Shreffler is a financial analyst and parent to several kids in the district.
Suburban school board candidates run unopposed
Several candidates at the large Tulsa metro area school districts didn’t draw opponents in their races. Only incumbent Brandy Roulet, 49, filed to run for Broken Arrow Public Schools Board of Education District 4. Roulet is a lifelong Broken Arrow resident and works as a dental hygiene instructor at Tulsa Community College.
In Bixby, Justin Cheatham is running for another term for District 4 on Bixby’s school board. He currently serves as president of the five-member school board.
In Jenks, incumbent Jenks Public Schools Board of Education President Ron Barber, 68, is running unopposed for another term in District 4.
Union Public Schools office No. 4 incumbent Stacey Roemerman is running unopposed.
Two file for Collinsville City Commission seat
A pair of candidates have filed for the Collinsville City Commission Ward 1 seat:
- Gary Cole, 68; and
- Brad Francis, 76.
Francis is the incumbent for Ward 1. He is a lifelong resident and owns a local business. He has also served on the city’s planning commission.
Incumbent Mayor Larry Shafer was the only candidate to file for that race and will win another term. In Ward 2, Bob Firth, 69, won another term after drawing no opponent in his race.
Owasso City Council candidates run unopposed
Two seats are up on the Owasso City Council. Incumbent Mayor and Ward 1 Councilmember Kelly Lewis are running unopposed. Elsewhere, Vice Mayor and Ward 2 Councilmember Alvin Fruga did not draw an opponent in his bid for another term on the five-member City Council. Owasso is one of the largest and fastest-growing suburbs of Tulsa.
Two file for Sand Springs Ward 6 seat
Two candidates have filed to run for the Sand Springs City Council Ward 6 seat. Brian Jackson, 40, is running for another term and will be challenged by David Parker, 61.
Jackson is a development manager for Junior Achievement of Eastern Oklahoma and volunteers for several area civic groups including Oklahoma Fans for Elvis.
Parker is a Tulsa area real estate agent, according to his Facebook page.
Elsewhere in the city, incumbent Beau Wilson, 40, is running unopposed in Ward 4 and Jim Spoon, 71, did not draw an opponent for the council’s at-large seat.
