Oklahoma City Public Schools, Deer Creek Public Schools and Western Heights Public Schools will have school board races early next year, and a slate of Oklahoma County school board officials will be re-elected by default, as no no other candidate filed against them.
Additionally, 12 candidates filed for four different Midwest City Council seats.
Nominations closed at 5pm today. Oklahoma's 2024 election cycle for city and school board candidates who filed this week will include a Tuesday, Feb. 13 primary for seats with more than two candidates. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 2.
In school board races, Oklahoma state law dictates that contests with only two candidates go directly to the April general election.
Filing applicants for open positions in OKCPS, DCPS
Two people filed for OKCPS District 3 and three people filed for District 4, respectively, representing west-central Oklahoma City and southwest Oklahoma City.
Cary Pirrong, 58, filed to represent the District 3 seat again after being appointed to it in July 2022. An OKCPS graduate and parent, Pirrong is the administrative director of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners, according to him LinkedIn page. He previously served as director of justice and compliance for Oklahoma City Community College.
Pirrong doesn't seem to have much information about his campaign online. When he was appointed in July 2022, Pirrong told Nuria Martinez-Keel, then me The Oklahomanthat he wanted to help change the “negative perception” of OKCPS.
“OKCPS has been on the rise for the last 10, 15 years and I want to see it continue,” Pirrong said. “I think the biggest challenge OKCPS still faces is the perception from the community that, in my opinion, is not the right perception and hasn't been right for 10 or 15 years.”
Jessica Cifuentes, 25, also filed to run for the position this week. Although she doesn't seem to have much of an online presence, Cifuentes appears on Oklahoma Charter Public School Association website as one Graduate of ASTEC Charter High School. According to her Facebook page, Cifuentes is a graduate of Emory College. To her LinkedIn profileshe calls herself an engineer.
The OKCPS District 4 seat is open because he is incumbent Mark Mann decided to run for state Senate District 46. Three candidates filed to take his seat on the school board.
Jay Albertson, 53, is president of Communications Workers of America Local 6016. According to his bio for the website of the chapter, Albertson has worked for telephone and Internet companies SBC Wireless and Cingular. According to Tim Willert, then with The OklahomanAlbertson applied to fill the seat for an unexpired term in 2017, but lost the seat to Mann.
Scotty Hernandez, 29, is a realtor and photographer. It belongs to him Hernandez inner groupwhich is brokered by eXp Realty, and Scatterscape, real estate photography company. Hernandez is also president of the Oklahoma City chapter National Association for Hispanic Real Estate Professionalsaccording to his own Facebook page.
Dana Meister, 69, is a longtime educator and current general manager at Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City, she said. campaign website. Meister says on her website that she has worked in the Altus, Choctaw and Midwest City school districts.
“With all the attacks on education and teachers from state leadership, we need to put someone on the school board with the experience and knowledge to lead Oklahoma's largest school district. I am an educator. Education is what I do,” Meister said in a statement on her website.
Two candidates filed for Western Heights Public Schools Seat 4.
Theresa Lewis, 70, has applied to run for the post she was appointed to earlier this year after three controversial board members abruptly resigned. She is a retired teacher in Western Heights.
Lewis' notable votes include voting with the rest of the board on June 12 to hire Shane Murnan as principal of John Glenn Elementary School. Murnan gained national attention in August when news broke that he was performing as drag queen Shantel Mandalay in his spare time.
Lewis has a challenger, LaCosta Herrion, 45. Although Herrion does not appear to have information about her candidacy online, she has been involved in advocating against the controversial former board members and district superintendent. Herrion was one of 10 people in the district who signed a demand letter in May 2022, calling the contract with former Superintendent Mannix Barnes “fraudulent.”
Two candidates filed for the Ward 4 seat on the Deer Creek Public School Board: James Gibbs, 45, and Paul Elder, 43.
Gibbs is a former Deer Creek Public Schools teacher who currently serves as a college and career counselor at Epic Charter Schools, while Paul Elder serves as the Deer Creek Public Schools Foundation. treasurer.
In Edmond, Cynthia Benson, 54, will be re-elected by default to her Edmond Public Schools District 4 seat, as no one filed against her.
Candidates are flocking to Midwest city council seats
In Midwest City, Pat Byrne will default to re-election, but the Ward 3, Ward 4 and Ward 6 seats are up for grabs.
Six candidates filed to run for the unexpired Ward 3 Midwest City Council seat held by Rick Dawkins. Dawkins was appointed to Seat 3 in July when former MP Megan Bain resigned.
Espaniola Bowen, 64, Janice Swartz, 70, Raymond Melton, 64, Rita Maxwell, 76, AJ Bailey, 39, and Jeff Moore, 61, filed for the Ward 3 seat.
Bowen served as Midwest City Ward 3 Councilor from April 2018 to April 2022. According to her LinkedInshe currently serves as director of the health resource development agency for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Maxwell serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Veterans Association.
Bailey previously ran for Midwest City Council Seat 3 in 2022, but did not advance after the February primary. He currently serves as the Midwest City's Tree Council representative Parkland Review Committee.
Swartz, Melton and Moore do not appear to maintain online presences.
Nicholas Timme, 29, Marc Thompson, 71, and Charles Wallace, 41, filed for the Ward 4 seat. Incumbent Sean Reed did not file for re-election.
According to his LinkedIn, Timme has spent 10 years at Tinker Federal Credit Union, where he currently works as a loan analyst. This is Chairman of the Midwest City Traffic and Safety Commission.
Wallace challenged Midwest City Mayor Matthew Dukes for his seat in 2022, but did not advance after the February primary. Wallace is a martial arts instructor and served two tours in Iraq with the Marines, according to instructor biography.
Thompson does not appear to maintain an online presence.
In Ward 6, incumbent Rick Favors, 61, will face challenger William Bridges, 84.
Favors is a mortgage loan officer at AMC Mortgage. Bridges does not appear to maintain an online presence.
In the Midwest City – Del City school district, board No. 4 incumbent Julian Biggers, 83, will face Shelly Schultz, 45, in an April 2 election.
Biggers was elected by default in 2019. According to her LinkedInSchultz works in regional business development at Smart Start, Inc.
Incumbent residents of Yukon, Mustang, El Reno, Putnam City, re-elected by default
Several incumbents across the OKC metro area won't need to win elections to keep their seats, as he hasn't filed challenges against them.
Brian Coulson, 41, will be up for re-election to board seat No. 4 on the Yukon Public Schools board after no one filed to run against him.
In Mustang, one candidate has filed for board seat No. 4: Sarah Lippencott, 41. Lippencott is a realtor and former MPS teacher. Chad Schroeder, current chairman and vice chairman of the board, did not file for re-election.
El Reno Public Schools Seat No. 4 Bradley Baker will be up for re-election by default, as no other candidates filed against him.
Charity Avery, president of the Putnam City Public Schools Board, was re-elected by default as no one filed to run against her.
