Patty Miller
EDMOND — At least one candidate had filed for every local school board position by the end of the filing period Wednesday. Edmond and Guthrie incumbents both drew another candidate in opposition.
Eight people filed for local school board positions as of 5 p.m. Thursday, officials of the Oklahoma and Logan County Election Boards said.
Kenneth B. Dennis was the only person filing for Jan Larsen’s Seat 5 on the Deer Creek Board of Education, a five-year term. Dennis filed Tuesday.
Susan Huffer and incumbent Kemp Cole both filed Monday for the Edmond School Board Seat 5, also a five-year term.
Mark Swartzbaugh filed for the two-year unexpired term he has previously held on the Guthrie School Board, and Jenise Phillips also filed for the position late in the day Wednesday.
Both incumbents, S. Janna Pierson, now holding Guthrie’s Office 3, and Orville L. Cornelius, now holding Office 4, are running unopposed for an additional four-year term.
Bob Turner filed Monday for the five-year term seat on the Francis Tuttle Technology Center and is unopposed.
Board of Education elections will be Feb. 10.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the total votes cast in the election, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will meet in runoff elections on April 7.
Filing will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Wednesday at the Oklahoma County and Logan County Election Board offices.
Information on the role of local school board members is available from the National School Boards Association, online at www.nsbc.org. Details related to qualifications are available online at the State Department of Education Web site, sde.state.ok.us or by calling 521-4527.
