District 1 School Board Election Primary Tomorrow

If you live in Tulsa Public Schools District 1 or 2, don’t forget to vote in tomorrow’s school board election.

Schools in District 1 are Clinton West, Council Oak, Emerson, Eugene Field, Mark Twain, Robertson, Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy, Webster Middle School and Webster High School.

There are seven candidates vying for the seat, which should be noted. Seven people wish to serve the community in a time-consuming, difficult position. I went to hear the candidates answer some hard questions at Webster High School during a candidate forum last week. All were passionate and all had good reasons for running for school board. All of the candidates felt strongly about being present in their district’s schools and listening to teachers, students and families.

If you haven’t had a chance to talk to the candidates, here is a link to the Tulsa World’s profiles of each one: https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/meet-six-of-the-candidates-vying-for-the-district-board/collection_caa67af5-2af2-5d4c-be7a-a009c91ed719.html

Here is a link to a forum video from News on 6: http://www.newson6.com/story/39943581/school-board-candidates-attend-forum

If one of the District 1 candidates does not receive over 50 percent of the vote in tomorrow’s primary election, two candidates will move on to the general election ballot on April 2, 2019.

District 2, which includes Booker T. Washington, Will Rogers, Carver, Kendall-Whittier, McKinley and Owen, has two candidates. One is Jania Wester, who currently holds the seat. She was appointed in September after the resignation of Amy Shelton. The other is Gary Copper. Find information about Wester and Copper here https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/candidates-for-tulsa-school-board-district-seat-tout-distinguished-backgrounds/article_47c4697d-fa24-5d06-98a1-97b8b87f763d.html

The District 2 election for this unexpired seat is tomorrow, Feb. 12, 2019.

You can find your polling place here https://services.okelections.us/voterSearch.aspx

You can also find your polling place, and a voters guide at The League of Women Voters’ site at www.vote411.org.

As you think about your vote, remember that school boards are elected public officials who connect the school system and the public. A school board works for the community, and works to ensure the best possible education experience for all students.