Young candidates create rare contested school board race in southeast OKC

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OKLAHOMA CITY — South Oklahoma City neighborhoods that haven’t seen a contested school board race in over a decade will choose between two young Hispanic candidates in an April 7 election.

Natalie Roman, 22, and Galilea Martinez, 28, are running for Oklahoma City Public Schools’ District 7 board seat. The position represents a slice of the city’s southwest side and all of the southeast, including Capitol Hill High School, Southeast High School, and the elementary and middle schools that feed into them.

Both candidates said they aim to better engage families and residents in the predominantly Latino area, which last saw more than one candidate run for its school board seat in 2014.

“The fact that we do have two Latinas that are from this community running, it says a lot,” Roman said. “It’s definitely progressing, and it’s great that the community has options. I think it offers better transparency among voters to be able to choose and even know about their school boards. So, I am really glad to be part of it. I think that no matter what, it’s not a win or loss for either of us.”

Roman works as a relationship banker at First United Bank in Moore. She graduated in December from the University of Oklahoma with a computer science degree. Participating in the civics organization Latinos Unidos at OU stoked her interest in community engagement, she said.

When the board’s current District 7 representative, Meg McElhaney, announced she wouldn’t seek reelection this year, Roman saw a chance to continue that community-focused work by running for office.

If elected, Roman would represent schools she attended: Southeast High School where she graduated in 2021, Webster Middle School and Parmelee Elementary, which has since been converted into Southeast Middle School.

Roman said the district provided her with opportunities, like classes at Metro Technology Centers and the AVID college readiness program, that prepared her for the future, but she noticed not all students had that same exposure. That’s why college and career programs are one of her priorities, she said, as well as improving early literacy and math scores.

The Oklahoma City school board has set goals for academic growth and greater participation in post-high-school opportunities. Roman said she intends to track that data to make sure Superintendent Jamie Polk is meeting those targets.

Coming from a predominantly Latino and low-income community, as well as having been an OKCPS student in the post-COVID era, is a “perspective that I thought was very much needed” on the board, Roman said.

Her opponent, Martinez, said she also shares a similar lived experience as many Oklahoma City students. Martinez grew up in District 7 in a Mexican American immigrant family, attended Capitol Hill Elementary and went to charter schools for middle and high school.

She graduated from OU with a degree in nonprofit administration and political science. She now works for the Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions, an organization that promotes best practices for elections.

While on the campaign trail, Martinez said she’s found several District 7 families who, like hers, chose to enroll in non-OKCPS schools. One in every 3 to 4 doors she’s knocked has children in charter, virtual or private schools, she said.

“I would love to see Oklahoma City Public Schools rise to that competitive nature, as well,” Martinez said. “If parents are selecting choices, I hope that this is a choice that they start to make.”

Students feeling comfortable, stable and safe in their public school is a top priority, she said. 

Ensuring resources and information reach non-English-speaking families is a major focus, as well, both candidates said.

Many students in District 7 live with their grandparents, who might not know to check digital correspondence from schools, Martinez said. Other families have told her they don’t know who to contact about issues or don’t feel heard by their school administration.

“I see how family engagement helps support a child,” she said. “I know it’s a really important piece, and I want to ensure that I’m working with our schools and with our administration in OKCPS to ensure that they’re communicating with our families (and) engaging them.”

That communication is even more essential as District 7 schools transform through a 2022 bond issue, the candidates said. Multiple elementary and middle schools have merged, and new buildings for Capitol Hill High School, Skyline Middle School and Adelaide Lee Elementary are under construction.

Renaming Cesar Chavez Elementary

Whoever wins the April 7 election also will represent Cesar Chavez Elementary, a school that is being considered for a name change. That process would require community input. 

Roman said she would hold community meetings to discuss the change, like McElhaney did when the district selected a name for Skyline Middle School.

Martinez said she’s “absolutely” in favor of changing the elementary school’s name. 

Schools nationwide have been considering removing Chavez’s name since sexual assault allegations emerged earlier this month against the labor movement leader, who died in 1993.

The news about Chavez “hurts deeply,” Martinez said, but it’s a reminder that public figures must lead with integrity. Like in the District 7 race, the needs of the community should be the focus, more so than any individual, she said. 

“This race is really important for our community, but I also want to reemphasize the fact that this race isn’t important because it’s myself or my opponent,” Martinez said. “This race is important for our community because our community deserves to have not only representative leadership, but leadership that is really invested into positive changes and the betterment of our schools overall.”

The District 7 race is the only contested election in OKCPS this year. Early voting will open Thursday and Friday before the election takes place the following Tuesday on April 7.

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