Broken Arrow School Board
From left: Kate Williams, Bruce Lamont and incumbent Jerry Denton are campaigning in the Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, Broken Arrow School Board Zone 5 primary election. (NonDoc)

Broken Arrow Public Schools Board of Education incumbent Jerry Denton faces two challengers, Bruce Lamont and Kate Williams, in the Feb. 11 primary election.

Denton, who has held his position on Broken Arrow’s board since 2010 and who currently serves as its vice president, seeks a fourth five-year term in Zone 5 of the district. Lamont, an IT management professional, and Williams, a business owner and adjunct professor, will appear on the ballot in an attempt to unseat him.

Broken Arrow Public Schools — which has boundaries set for three early childhood centers, 16 elementary schools, five middle schools, a freshman academy and a high school — serves an urban-suburban community that enrolls more than 20,000 students. Zone 5 covers areas between Omaha Street and Tucson Street from north to south and ranges west of Elm Avenue to 289th East Avenue.

In Tulsa County — which includes more than a dozen public school districts — Broken Arrow was the only school district with a seat drawing challengers outside of Tulsa Public Schools.

In-person early voting is set from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, and Friday, Feb. 7, at the Tulsa County Election Board. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the BAPS Zone 5 vote, the top two candidates will proceed to a general election Tuesday, April 1.

The following cheat sheet provides an overview of the Broken Arrow Public Schools Zone 5 candidates and is based on publicly available information, such as campaign websites, news reports and social media. The candidates are presented in alphabetical order.


Jerry Denton (incumbent)

Broken Arrow School Board
Incumbent board member Jerry Denton is campaigning for the Broken Arrow District 5 seat during the Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, primary school board election. (Provided)

Age: 59

Profession/background: Jerry Denton was born and raised in Oklahoma and was enrolled in BAPS from primary through secondary school. After graduating from Broken Arrow High School in 1983, Denton went on to serve in the U.S. Navy.

After his time in the military, Denton returned to Broken Arrow to raise his family and now has two children who are alumni of Broken Arrow Public Schools.

According to LinkedIn, Denton earned a bachelor’s in business and electronic business from the University of Phoenix in 2004 and has held multiple positions involving operations, sales, service, and customer relationship management, as well as technology support services. Denton currently works as a project, facilities and maintenance administrator at Spirit AeroSystems.

Platform: According to a Dec. 17 Facebook post, Denton has supported creating the Air Force JROTC, the Project Pathways program and the Performing Arts and Education Services Center during his 15 years on the BAPS board.

Denton also said he is a supporter of increased teacher pay and smaller class sizes.

“I’d like to continue serving as your board member for Zone 5, because I truly believe in our shared responsibility of preparing all kids to be ready for their next step in life,” Denton wrote in the Dec. 17 Facebook post. “Whether that next step is college, military, CareerTech, work or simply navigating life as an adult. I know the district and the board members who serve you strive to create a district where every student learns and every employee feels valued.”

Links: Facebook | LinkedIn

Bruce Lamont

Broken Arrow School Board
Bruce Lamont is campaigning for the Broken Arrow District 5 seat during the Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, primary school board election. (Provided)

Age: 46

Profession/background: Another Broken Arrow High School graduate, Bruce Lamont continued his education at Oklahoma State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in management information systems, according to LinkedIn.

After graduating in 2005, Lamont went on to work as an information technology manager at the OSU Medical Center for Health Science before moving on to work as an IT manager for Melton Truck Lines in 2013.

According to LinkedIn, Lamont left Melton Truck lines in 2016 to work as the IT manager of infrastructure architecture at Matrix Service Company, before returning to Melton Truck Lines in 2018 where he currently works as an IT director.

Platform: Although Lamont does have a campaign Facebook account, he has used it to articulate few specific campaign points ahead of the Feb. 11 election. Lamont is running on the basis that he will “bring a solid foundation of communication and a winning successful vision” for Broken Arrow children, according to a Jan. 20 Facebook post.

“I understand that decisions like these may have a serious impact on families. It’s the school board’s duty to ensure your voice is heard,” Lamont wrote on a Jan. 22 Facebook post about a push to return to five-day school weeks. “Together we can make this happen. My goal as a member of the school board is to ensure your voice is heard.”

Links: Facebook | LinkedIn

Kate Williams

Broken Arrow School Board
Kate Williams is campaigning for the Broken Arrow District 5 seat during the Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, primary school board election. (Provided)

Age: 40

Profession/background: According to LinkedIn, Kate Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from Oakland University in 2006, a master’s degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2009, and a doctorate from the University of Tulsa in 2015. All of her studies were listed as “English language and literature/letters.”

Williams has worked as an adjunct professor of composition at TU since 2009 and Tulsa Community College since 2024, according to her website. Williams writes that she plans to teach three courses at TCC in the spring semester of 2025.

Along with her career as an educator, Williams is also the founder, CEO and lead content strategist of People First Content, a Broken Arrow-based company that “works with businesses worldwide to create content ranging from website and email copy to white papers, research articles, and full-length books,” according to Williams’ Ballotpedia survey.

According to her website, Williams has also served as the vice president and president of the Holy Family Cathedral School board and board secretary of Oklahoma Women in Technology.

Platform: As a mother of two BAPS students, Williams states that the district’s school board lacks representation from parents of currently enrolled students. Williams also said on her campaign website that her experience working both inside and outside of Broken Arrow gives her a unique perspective.

In an interview with the Broken Arrow Sentinel, Williams praised the existing board but also emphasized that having a parental voice on the board “would help parents feel more comfortable and it might bring some added thoughts and perspectives.”

“We need to raise our standards. So how do we not focus on the distractions coming from some of the legislature in our state? How do we get teachers to stick around? How do we get more regular teachers instead of relying on the emergency certified teachers?” she said. “I know there’s a lot of things outside of our control, but again, how can we work with other groups to advocate for it? Maybe we can work together with other districts and become a louder voice. And then inclusivity, making sure all students are welcome in schools. I know there’s concerns about bullying and mental health as well. We’ve had nine suicides in our district since 2020. I’ve noticed the current board takes it very seriously. But again, having more respect and more conversations is important. There might be more things that we could be doing or more ways that they’re being impacted that aren’t so obvious.”

Throughout multiple posts on her campaign Facebook account, Williams said she wants to be an advocate for parents’ voices and is focused on improving student outcomes.

“I will fight everyday to get better outcomes for every student who walks into a Broken Arrow classroom,” Williams says on her website.

Links: Facebook | LinkedIn | Website

(Correction: This article was updated at 11:40 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, to correct reference to the age of one candidate’s children.)

  • Sasha Ndisabiye

    Sasha Ndisabiye grew up splitting her time between southern California and southern Arizona before moving to Oklahoma to attend Langston University. After graduating from Langston with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in sociology, she completed a NonDoc editorial internship in the summer of 2024. She became NonDoc’s education reporter in October 2024.

  • Sasha Ndisabiye

    Sasha Ndisabiye grew up splitting her time between southern California and southern Arizona before moving to Oklahoma to attend Langston University. After graduating from Langston with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in sociology, she completed a NonDoc editorial internship in the summer of 2024. She became NonDoc’s education reporter in October 2024.