OKCPS board chairperson, representatives of Districts 1 and 2 to be decided on April 6

By Kaylee McDaniel / Inside OKC / March 22, 2021

All registered voters within the boundaries of Oklahoma City Public School District will have the chance to shape the school district’s future by voting in important school board elections on Tuesday, April 6. Candidates on the ballot include Paula Lewis (incumbent) and Charles Henry, candidates for Board chairperson; Brett Hayes and Carole Thompson, candidates for the District 1 seat; and Lori Bowman and James McHenry, candidates to represent District 2.

The winners in this decisive election will join incumbent Meg McElhaney, the only person who filed to represent District 7, for a four-year term on the Oklahoma City Public School Board.

While the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber does not endorse candidates for any school board seat, the Chamber asked all candidates to complete a survey that would ascertain their stance on charter schools, the use of TIF funds and more. Learn more about each candidate and their responses below.

Paula Lewis (incumbent), candidate for board chairperson

Paula Lewis is the current chairperson of the OKCPS school board. She also holds two Bachelor of Science degrees: one in Biology from Southwest Missouri State University and one in Occupational Therapy from the University of Oklahoma. In addition to her undergraduate education, she also holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix.

During Lewis’ nearly four years as Board chair, the school board made important strides on priorities that positively impacted the district, including superintendent stability, transparency and accountability, and addressing student mental health and wellness. Her campaign website says, “Having consistently addressed the issues that our children face both in and out of the classroom, we need Paula to continue her work as the Chair of the Board of Education to ensure OKCPS will continue to grow and move forward.”

In her own words

CHAMBER SURVEY: What do you believe is the role of a School Board member?

A school board is responsible for establishing district policies, hiring and managing a Superintendent, and oversight of the district’s budget. The Chair has those responsibilities as well as setting the agenda, creating and appointing members to committees, building relationships with stakeholders and community partners and fostering quality, productive communication among school board members.

If re-elected to the Oklahoma City School Board, what will be your priorities?

If re-elected, I will continue to work towards Superintendent stability by fostering good board management and communication with the superintendent. I will continue to support transparency and accountability to stakeholders and community and support Embrace OKC. The district is currently addressing equity via policy and I want to be a voice to support conversations around implicit bias, systemic racism and why we need culturally responsive leadership as well as diversity of leaders. The end goal being to provide access to education for every student by removing barriers as an educated work force is good for our city. Teacher and staff support and training is also needed to hire and retain high quality teachers in every school, I will continue to champion improvements in how we care for and support OKCPS employees.

What can do to improve academic performance and prepare students for work or higher education?

The board and I must provide oversight to how the district is carrying out the Equity Policy. We must monitor and require a budget that will provide each student and staff what they need to remove barriers associated the challenges that our students face in order to provide access to a quality education. We must set goals for the superintendent that will focus the trajectory of the district towards improving academic success and thus graduating a Senior that is job and/or college ready. The board and the district should maintain and grow relationships with vo-techs, colleges and universities to provide opportunities that are meaningful to students. I will continue to support the growth of birth-3 programs in our schools and to enhance our pre-k programs to have students reading ready when they enter kindergarten. We will see students prepared for work and higher education by supporting our programs that are designed to remove barriers, provide early education, creating partnerships that improve opportunity for students, and by monitoring academic outcomes via the superintendent.

Read a full transcript of Lewis’ survey responses.

Charles Henry, candidate for board chairperson

Charles Henry currently serves on the OKCPS school board representing District 1. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and two minors in Communication and History. He also completed his Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from Texas Southern University. According to his website, Henry is running “to make the school board accountable to the people and to create a successful learning environment that will benefit all OKCPS students in reaching their full potential.”

In his own words

CHAMBER SURVEY: What do you believe is the role of a School Board member?

To be held accountable to the public it serves. Always put the best interest of the students, parents, teachers and staff first.

If elected to the Oklahoma City School Board, what will be your priorities?

To create a safe learning environment and create a student code of conduct policy that supports teachers in managing their classrooms. If we cannot keep students from being disruptive in class none of the ideas to improve OKCPS schools will work. Parents need to be assured their children will be safe in school and teachers need to be able to focus on teaching instead of constant disciplinary issues. We will have a better process with in-school alternatives such as quality detention and in-school suspension programs that work.
To close the performance gap between low performing schools and higher-performing schools.
To close the achievement gap between traditional public schools and the successful non-traditional public schools, charter and enterprise schools.
To implement quality remediation courses to help OKCPS students graduate at the 12th-grade level or higher. A majority of the students in many schools are academically 2-3 grade levels behind.
To create an Advisory Board consisting of OKCPS parents, teachers, and community workers that will hold the OKC School Board Members accountable to the OKC citizens they were elected to serve.
To listen and address the issues and concerns from all groups and communities across OKC.
To create partnerships with our state colleges to advance our Science and Math programs.
To renew our commitment to provide special needs students a quality learning environment.

What can do to improve academic performance and prepare students for work or higher education?

Create a structured discipline policy and a real remediation strategy.

Read a full transcript of Henry’s responses.

District 1 candidates

District 1 candidates Carole Thompson and Brett Hayes each responded to the Chamber’s survey. They will face each other in the April 6 runoff.

Read the full responses of Hayes and Thompson.

District 2 candidates

Lori Bowman and James McHenry will face each other at the polls on April 6. Both candidates completed the Chamber survey, and their responses are summarized below.

Read the full responses of Bowman and McHenry.

Election information

All registered voters within the OKCPS boundaries will be able to vote for board chairperson, and residents of Districts 1 and 2 will also be able to vote on their representative.

Although the absentee ballot request deadline is March 30, the U.S. Postal Service recommends requesting it by March 22. You can request an absentee ballot using the Oklahoma State Election Board’s OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp, or download an absentee ballot request form at oklahoma.gov/elections to print, sign and return to your county election board.

The Postal Service recommends mailing your completed absentee ballot by March 30 if voting by mail. You can also return a completed absentee ballot in person to your local county election board.

Early voting is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 1-2 at your local county election board:

Oklahoma County Election Board, 4201 N Lincoln Blvd., (405) 713-1515
Cleveland County Election Board, 641 E Robinson Street (Suite 200) in Norman, (405) 366-0210
Canadian County Election Board, 200 S Bickford Ave. in El Reno, (405) 422-2422

Regular voting is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 6 at your usual polling location. Find your polling location on your voter ID card, or using the voter portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.