Oklahomans across the state cast ballots in school board elections Tuesday, with Norman Public Schools patrons and Yukon Public Schools voters choosing to unseat their board presidents.
In Norman, Tori Collier defeated incumbent Tina Floyd, while Tony Yanda ousted Cody Sanders.
Alongside Norman Public Schools — the public school district for the state’s third largest city — some of the OKC metro’s more prominent public school districts had elections, including Deer Creek, Jones, Millwood and Piedmont.
Of the OKC metro districts, Jones Public Schools was the only one presented with two new candidates for the district’s board, while Norman, Deer Creek, Millwood, Piedmont and Yukon all had challengers looking to unseat their district’s incumbent board members. Of the races featuring incumbent candidates, Chris Adamson was reelected to the Deer Creek school board, Jerrod Moser was reelected to the Piedmont board and long-time incumbent Marvin Provo was reelected to the Millwood board.
Additionally, Oklahomans voted to approve more than 15 different school bonds — projects intended to address public school districts’ ever-growing infrastructure needs and future capitol investments — while simultaneously rejecting some of the largest bond proposals on the ballot.
Tuesday’s online election results are unofficial until they are certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Tori Collier unseats Tina Floyd in NPS
Challenger Tori Collier successfully unseated incumbent board president Tina Floyd for the District 5 seat on the Norman Public Schools Board of Education. Collier received 66.26 percent of the 599 votes cast. Floyd received 305 votes.
“I started this journey to make sure every family has representation on our board, to make sure every kid has what they need and to make teachers feel heard. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am that so many support me in that mission,” Collier said in a Facebook post Tuesday night. “Now the real work begins. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and fight for the issues that matter most to our community. Let’s get to work — together.”
Collier, a communications professional and special education advocate, is a community consultant for Evolution Foundation — a nonprofit organization whose mission is to work with “local coalitions in Oklahoma to develop alliances between coordinated behavioral health-oriented networks to meet the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance, substance abuse disorders and co-occurring issues,” according to her website.
Passionate about mental health and disability advocacy, Collier has worked for multiple state government agencies, including the Department of Human Services, Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Health.
Tony Yanda unseats Cody Sanders in YPS
Incumbent board president Cody Sanders was unseated by challenger Tony Yanda for the District 5 spot on the Yukon Public Schools Board of Education. Yanda received 65.02 percent of the 1,223 votes cast. Sanders finished with 658 votes.
“We are humbled by the support and love we have received during this campaign! We did it! We did it! Thank you, Yukon,” Yanda said in a Tuesday Facebook post.
With more than 20 years of construction management and project operations experience, Yanda currently works as the director of southern operations at The Boldt Company.
“As a board member, I will be a fierce advocate for creating opportunities for students to thrive outside the classroom,” Yanda wrote in a March 21 Facebook post. “Whether it be athletics, music, spirit, arts and culture, technology, science, academic competitions or special interests, every student should be able to find a place to belong and grow.”
Chris Adamson reelected in Deer Creek Public Schools
After only three votes separated the top two finishers in the Feb. 11 primary election for the Ward 5 seat on the Deer Creek Public Schools Board of Education, incumbent Chris Adamson won reelection earning 52.96 percent of the 412 votes case during Tuesday’s runoff against Lisa Antonelli.
Antonelli finished with 366 votes.
Adamson was appointed to the Deer Creek board in April 2024 after the former board member moved away. Since 2016, Adamson has served as the director of the Gridiron Imports Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps international athletes interested in American football come to the U.S. to further their education while playing sports in high school and college. Additionally, Adamson is listed as director of recruiting for Podyum Preps, a group that helps student athletes earn college scholarships.
Andrew Chase wins seat in Jones Public Schools
With two new candidates appearing on Tuesday’s ballot, Jones Public Schools voters elected systems analyst Andrew Chase with 54.93 percent of the 223 votes cast, defeating small business owner Julie Baker for the District 5 seat. Baker received 183 votes.
Chase spent 14 years of his early career employed at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, but in 2013, Chase left the state agency and worked for multiple companies before returning to OHCA in 2020. Initially hired as a system analyst in December 2020, by June 2022 Chase was promoted to a senior systems analyst manager position.
With more than two decades of experience as a systems analyst and specialist for various organizations, Chase said he is “looking forward to the opportunity to use my skills in a new capacity within my own community,” in a Feb. 14 Facebook post.
Jerrod Moser reelected in Piedmont Public Schools
Incumbent board member Jerrod Moser will return to the Piedmont Public Schools Board of Education after winning reelection Tuesday with 72.97 percent of the 216 votes cast. Challenger Courtney Davis received 80 votes.
Moser has been a member of the Piedmont Public Schools Board of Education for 14 years and is a longtime resident of the Piedmont community with three children who went through the Piedmont Public Schools system.
For more than 18 years, Moser has served as the director of corporate health and safety, as well as the director of utility technical service operations, at OG&E. Moser also served on the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s national advisory committee between 2017 and 2020.
Provo reelected in Millwood Public Schools
Marvin Provo — who has served for more than 25 years on the Millwood Public Schools Board of Education — was reelected Tuesday, receiving 54.71 percent of the 267 votes cast. Challenger and former MPS board member Andre Coleman received 221 votes.
As well as serving on the school board uninterrupted since the 1990s, Provo previously served as president of the Millwood Enrichment Foundation — a nonprofit organization established in 1983 to enhance the education experience of Millwood’s students, teachers and staff through funding support and creative programs. Provo is also listed as a deacon of ministry at Prospect Missionary Baptist Church in OKC.
Mixed results for local school bond issues
School bond elections to pass property taxes are mechanisms that public school districts typically use to fund capital improvement projects, facility upgrades and equipment purchases.
School bond elections come with a few caveats. They must receive 60 percent of the vote to pass and, if passed, the district must repay the debts using levied property taxes within the district.
During this year’s April 1 election, many school bond proposals were approved for a number of Oklahoma public school districts. But Oklahoma voters rejected some of the largest bond proposals seen on Tuesday’s ballot.
Bonds rejected Tuesday included, but are not limited to:
- Ardmore Public Schools, which saw a $144.8 million bond proposal — one of the largest bond proposals on the ballot. The proposal for a new “state-of-the-art” high school campus fell about 12 percent shy of receiving approval. Of 823 votes cast, 48.35 percent favored the bond, while 51.65 percent of voters cast their ballots against it;
- None of Blanchard Public Schools’ combined $42.2 million bond proposals received more than 50 percent support, far short of the 60 percent voter required for approval. Separated into three different ballot questions, the bond package was intended to fund building improvements and the construction of various athletic facilities; and
- Battiest Public Schools’ $3 million bond proposal to construct, equip, and furnish a new cafeteria/auditorium with a FEMA storm shelter finished less than 5 percent shy of receiving voter approval. The bond proposal received 155 votes, with 54.96 percent in favor of the bond and 45.04 percent opposed.
Other districts to reject bonds Tuesday included Kiowa, Haileyville, Ravia and Wetumka public schools.
Meanwhile, ond proposals were approved in Asher, Boswell, Butner, Cleveland, Eufaula, Indianola, Ketchum, Krebs, Lookeba-Sickles, Nowata, Ryan, Shattuck, Tyrone, Valliant, Velma-Alma, Weleetka, Wellston, Wilson and Woodland public school districts.
