In the wake of the controversial closing of four elementary schools, voters will be able to reshape the makeup of the Tulsa Public School Board with an election for two seats on February 11.
If none of the candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two candidates will advance in a runoff election on April 7.
Current board member Brian Hosmer represents District 5 and chose not to run for another term. That district includes Eliot, Lanier, Mayo and Wright elementary schools plus Edison Preparatory School.
Here are profiles of the candidates.
Office No. 5
Ben Croff, Republican
Croff has said publicly that he has withdrawn from the race.
John Croisant, Democrat
Croisant has a degree in secondary education and political science from TU. He is an Allstate Insurance agent.
This is his first run for elected office. He is a former teacher and soccer coach at Edison Preparatory School. He taught sixth grade geography for 12 years before retiring to start his own insurance agency.
From Tulsa, he graduated from Jenks High School. He is a member of the Tulsa Rotary Club and the Tulsa chamber.
According to published reports, he objected to the closing of Wright Elementary and would oppose the possibility of leasing that facility to a charter school. He wants to expand opportunities for students in athletics and the arts and favors other expansion projects.
Scott Pendleton, Republican
Pendleton is a software/database developer with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas A&M. He is a former volunteer math tutor for at-risk students and at a teenager, he was a summer camp counselor at a camp for kids with cognitive disabilities for two years. He wrote The Ultimate Guide to Student Contests.
Pendleton was a new correspondent based in Texas, Illinois and Saudi Arabia. He was a former Middle East editor for The Christian Science Monitor in Boston.
Pendleton and his family are musical performers and he has hosted after-school music instruction at Edison Preparatory School. He founded his computer business in 1999. He is also the president of Tulsa Spotlight Theatre.
Pendleton is concerned about possible evidence that shows that vaccines are causing adults and children to regress into autism. He wants more help for special education students.
Kelsey Royce, Democrat
Royce is a third-generation graduate of Tulsa Public Schools and her children are currently enrolled in TPS schools. She has a studio art degree from TU and has worked for 14 years in the Tulsa City/County Library System.
According to her Facebook page, she wrote, “I’m running for school board because it is imperative to wrest control of our district from those who would parcel out our schools. I’m running to give parents a voice on the Board of Education. I’m running so that there will be a Tulsa Public Schools for future generations to attend.”
She doesn’t want the board to rubberstamp recommendations made by administrators. She said school closings show a disregard for students with special needs, especially deaf education at Wright Elementary.
Shane Saunders, Republican
Saunders is president of Trident Energy, a Tulsa-based oil and gas exploration and production company. He is on the board of directors of the Tulsa Association of Professional Landmen. He has a Certified Professional Landman certification. He is the chairman of the board for Iron Gate, a soup kitchen and emergency grocery pantry. His family attends the Church of Saint Mary (Catholic).
He previously served on the congressional staff of former U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Oklahoma. He has a bachelor’s degree in politics and classics from Washington and Lee University. He has a master’s in business administration from TU.
He is running because he believes the board needs someone with a business perspective, particularly in light of the current $20 million budget shortfall and school closings.
Saunders wants improved math scores and more transparency from the board of education. He thinks Oklahoma’s education funding formula needs to be updated to help urban districts.
Office No. 6
Ruth Ann Fate, Democrat
Fate was first elected in 1996. She was board president from 1999 through 2002 and 2013 from 2014. She is a member of Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). According to the Bethany Christian Church Facebook page, the church is “open and affirming church.” According to the church website, “Bethany Christian Church is recognized by PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and by GLAD Alliance (Gay and Lesbian Affirming Disciples) as an Open and Affirming congregation. We are also recognized locally by “Oklahomans for Equality.”
Fate, a widow, is on the board of the liberal nonprofit Oklahoma Conference for Community and Justice; the Resonance Center for Women; and the Phillips Theological Seminary Board, among others.
The schools in that district are Bell, Hoover, Jones, MacArthur and Salk elementary schools; Zarrow International School; Hale Junior High and High schools; Memorial Junior High; and Street School.
Jerry Griffin, Republican
Griffin has a doctorate in education and teaches online business and criminal justices classes at The University of Oklahoma and The University of Phoenix. He holds an MBA from SMU and an undergraduate degree in business from TU.
He also taught a Wichita State University, Southwest Texas State University and Eastern Kentucky University. He was a major in the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office from 1990 to 1998. Griffin was a Tulsa police officer from 1966-1970. Griffin has been an early settlement mediator and court-appointed special advocate for children. He was a Peace Corps volunteer from 1988-1990.
Griffin believes he can help TPS solve the current $20 million budget crisis. He wants to draw students back in who left for charter schools and other alternatives.
Stephen Remington, Democrat
Remington said one of the reasons he is running is because Fate has served so long and hasn’t always been challenged at the polls.
He disagrees with Superintendent Deborah Gist in her recommendations for school cutbacks – including the closing of Jones Elementary in District 6.
Remington doesn’t list a current job but he has worked at the Dish Network Call Center. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from OSU. He is the father of five adopted children who graduated from Tulsa Public Schools or are currently attending them.
He wants more accountability and transparency from the board of education and administrators. He is dismayed at the ongoing exodus of students from TPS.