OKLAHOMA CITY – Two bills – both written to change the dates of school board elections – remained in the legislative equivalent of Purgatory, the Rules Committee last week.
Both measures, written by Sen. Pro Tempore Greg Treat, would move the date of school board elections from April to November, aligning those elections with the general election of U.S. President.
Treat’s first bill, Senate Bill 926, passed the Senate last March on a 38-9 vote. But that bill, which was assigned to the House Rules Committee, remains stalled as of last week.
Treat’s second bill, Senate Bill 1684, would do the exact same thing. That bill is currently idling on second reading the Senate Rules Committee. As of April 13, no action had been taken on SB 1684.
Treat said the time change was necessary because school elections commonly have a low voter turnout.
“This past week, we had some really controversial school boards elections in Edmond,” Treat told an Oklahoma City television station. “The two most controversial got six percent and seven percent turnout of eligible voters. It was abysmal.”
Public school officials have expressed concern about the idea. Last year the Oklahoma State School Boards Association issued a legislative alert about the proposal, saying it would allow party politics” into school board races which, currently, are nonpartisan. The organization said moving the elections would be expensive and would keep quality candidates from running for office.
Other organizations, though, said the bills would “ensure that school board members feel accountable to the parents they are supposed to be representing.” The organization, Parent Voice Oklahoma, posted messages on social media urging parents to contact their legislators and to support the bill.
“We’ve heard from frustrated parents from across Oklahoma who feel ignored and even disrespected by their local school boards, especially when it comes to making big decisions that impact their families,” the organization’s post said. “Local school boards and superintendents are shutting down schools, implementing new COVID protocols, and adopting new curricula without consulting parents – and sometimes even in direct opposition to what parents say they want.”
Senate Bill 1684, the group said, would create a system that is more democratic and more responsive to the very real needs of parents.
State lawmakers have until the end of May to finish their work.