Filing period opens Monday for candidates seeking school board seats

The filing period opens Monday for residents who want to file for school board seats in districts across the state.

Those offices include Office 4 on the Lawton Board of Education, now filled by Mary Bradley, and the Office 5 seat on the Great Plains Technology Center Board of Education, now held by Ann Acers-Warn.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. Wednesday to file their declarations of candidacy at the Comanche County Election Board or election boards in their counties. Qualified candidates must be a resident of the school district they seek to represent for at least six months prior to the first day of filing (Dec. 4), and a registered voter within an address of that school district for at least six months prior to filing. School board candidates also must have a high school diploma or certificate of equivalency.

The primary election will be held Feb. 13, while the general election is set for April 2. If only two candidates file for a single seat, they will proceed to the general election. Seats that draw three or more candidates, as well those with unexpired terms, will participate in the primary, under state election law. Candidates must win their seat by 50 percent plus one to avoid the general election.

For Comanche County school board seats, candidates may file their declarations of candidacy at the Comanche County Election Board, located in the Comanche County Courthouse at Southwest 5th and Southwest C, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Lawton Board of Education Office 4 seat represents the Almor West, Crosby Park, Edison, Eisenhower, Hugh Bish and Woodland Hills elementary school areas. Both the Lawton Board of Education and Great Plains Technology Center Board of Education seats have five-year terms.

Other school board seats up in Comanche County and neighboring counties include (five-year terms unless otherwise noted):

Comanche County

Bishop Public Schools: Office 3, three-year term.

Cache Public Schools: Office 4.

Chattanooga Public Schools: Office 4; Office 1, unexpired, two years remaining; Office 2, unexpired, three years remaining.

Elgin Public Schools: Office 4; Office 1, unexpired term.

Fletcher Public Schools: Office 4.

Flower Mound Public Schools: Office 3, three-year term.

Geronimo Public Schools: Office 4.

Indiahoma Public Schools, Office 4.

Sterling Public Schools, Office 5.

Caddo County

Anadarko Public Schools: Office 4; Office 3, four-year unexpired term.

Binger-Oney Public Schools: Office 4.

Boone-Apache Public Schools: Office 4.

Carnegie Public Schools: Office 4.

Cement Public Schools: Office 4.

Cyril Public Schools: Office 4.

Fort Cobb-Broxton Public Schools: Office 4.

Caddo-Kiowa Technology Center: Office 4, Zone 1.

Cotton County

Walters Public Schools: Office 4.

Temple Public Schools: Office 4.

Big Pasture Public Schools: Office 4.

Jackson County

Altus Public Schools: Office 4.

Blair Public Schools: Office 4.

Duke Public Schools: Office 4.

Navajo Public Schools: Office 4.

Olustee-Eldorado Public Schools: Office 4.

Southwest Technology Center District: Office 5.

Kiowa County

Mountain View-Gotebo Public Schools: Office 4.

Snyder Public Schools: Office 6, four-year term; and Office 4, four-year term.

Blair Public Schools: Office 4.

Stephens County

Duncan Public Schools: Office 4.

Comanche Public Schools: Office 4; Office 2, three-year unexpired.

Marlow Public Schools: Office 4.

Central High Public Schools: Office 4.

Empire Public Schools: Office 4.

Bray-Doyle Public Schools: Office 4.

Velma-Alma Public Schools: Office 4.

Grandview Public Schools: Office 3, three-year term.

Red River Technology Center: Office 4; Office 1, two-year unexpired.

Tillman County

Frederick Public Schools: Office 4.

Davidson Public Schools: Office 3.

Tipton Public Schools: Office 4.

Grandfield Public Schools: Office 4.