OKLAHOMA CITY – 28-year-old Galilea Martinez has won the race to represent OKC’s District 7 on the Oklahoma City Public Schools board in the district’s first contested race in over a decade.
Martinez will now represent the entire southeastern portion of the city’s school district, including Capitol Hill High School and Southeast High School, as well as nine other elementary and middle schools.
Growing up in District 7 in a Mexican-American family, Martinez boasts deep ties to the area, including attending Capitol Hill Elementary herself.
“I’m so excited,” Martinez said in a video posted to her campaign’s Instagram page following the victory. “I’m excited to be there for you for the next four years and to help elevate the south side and elevate all of Oklahoma City together.”
Running against 22-year-old Natalie Roman, Martinez can now claim victory in the first contested election for the District 7 school board seat since 2014.
Both women announced their candidacies following the decision by District 7 incumbent Meg McElhaney not to seek reelection.
It was a close election Tuesday, with Martinez garnering 309 of the just 527 votes cast, bringing her total to just under 59% of the vote.
Throughout her campaign, Martinez highlighted improved teacher retention and better access to non-English resources as some of her primary goals for the position, as well as leveraging both of those elements into better and more direct engagement with parents.
But she’ll also be presiding over a period of transition for District 7, with Skyline Middle School, Adelaide Lee Elementary, and Capitol Hill High all moving soon into newly constructed buildings, and with Cesar Chavez Elementary facing a likely name change following recent revelations about its namesake figure.
And even before officially entering the new position, Martinez already has some major support in the highest levels of Oklahoma City government.
“I’m excited for Gali’s leadership on the school board,” Ward 6 City Councilwoman JoBeth Hamon told Free Press Tuesday night, highlighting Martinez’s work for the election-engagement non-profit Partnership for Large Election Jurisdictions.
“Her experiences growing up in the district, paired with her background in engaging young people in electoral campaigns and civic life will bring a great perspective to the board,” Hamon said, “and I hope will keep voters in District 7 informed and engaged with the work of OKCPS.”
Martinez is expected to be sworn in during the OKCPS board meeting on Monday, April 13th at the Clara Luper Center for Educational Services.
Dismuke wins District 5 automatically
That meeting will also see the swearing in of Vernona Dismuke, who ran unopposed for the District 5 school board seat following Mike Shelton’s decision not to seek reelection.
With no challenger for the seat, Dismuke was announced as the winner of the District 5 seat upon registering as a candidate.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
