Charter school foe faces challenger in school board race
Attorney Matthew Livingood wanted to get rid of Tulsa’s charter schools and thereby limit educational choices for Tulsa families.
Livingood will face Dr. Lois Jacobs, a conservative Republican who supports more educational choice Feb. 9 in one of two races for Tulsa School Board. That race is in District 7.
In District 4, Anna America is running for the District 4 board seat against incumbent Bobbie Gray.
Livingood was the force behind a TPS lawsuit to overturn the Oklahoma Charter School Act, which would eliminate charter schools in Tulsa and narrow the choices for families for public education.
In a recent forum, Livingood admitted he attacked charter schools but then said he has voted for funding of two Tulsa schools.
The suit failed in the courts and the board declined to appeal.
Jacobs said Livingood wasted thousands of dollars on a frivolous lawsuit. TPS had to pay lawyers to fight the suit and then the State of Oklahoma had to pay to defend it.
“He created this bill and then paid for it with taxpayer money,” Jacobs said. “He was suing ‘Mom and Dad.’ He forced the state to use tax dollars to defend it. If I am elected, I will work with the Legislature.”
Livingood was appointed to the board in 2001. He ran unopposed in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. He is a solo attorney in private practice. He is a lay member of the Oakerhater Community, an order within the Episcopal Church.
Jacobs completed her B.S. Pharm D.D.S. at The University of Iowa. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at The University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. She completed her Pharm D at OU. She was director of Dental Anesthesiology, also holding joint appointments at the College of Dentistry and of Medicine at Oral Roberts University.
Jacobs has lectured at numerous professional seminars. She has prepared and written test questions for national boards, teaching numerous courses approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Dentistry.
She is challenging Livingood because she wants to see better results from public schools.
“I am interested in quality education,” Jacobs said. “I understand the education process. I understand what employers look for.”
With the state trimming aid to public schools, Jacobs said the first place to make cuts is with highly paid administrators.
“No one in education should be making more than the governor,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs wants to know why the school board agreed to teacher raises right before announcing furloughs 60 days later.
One easy area to cut would be the travel by education administrators, she added.
She is opposed to a proposed $350 million-plus bond issue that would raise property taxes.
America is the executive director of Up With Trees, and previously served as aide of communications and special projects for ex-mayor Kathy Taylor, communications coordinator for the City of Tulsa and managing editor of the Tulsa Sentinel. America volunteers with PlaniTulsa, Habitat for Humanity and the Eisenhower International School PTA.
Gray has been as a TPS School Board member since 1996. She is a realtor and her past experience includes the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and other community organizations. Attorney Matthew Livingood wanted to get rid of Tulsa’s charter schools and thereby limit educational choices for Tulsa families.
Livingood will face Dr. Lois Jacobs, a conservative Republican who supports more educational choice Feb. 9 in one of two races for Tulsa School Board. That race is in District 7.
In District 4, Anna America is running for the District 4 board seat against incumbent Bobbie Gray.
Livingood was the force behind a TPS lawsuit to overturn the Oklahoma Charter School Act, which would eliminate charter schools in Tulsa and narrow the choices for families for public education.
In a recent forum, Livingood admitted he attacked charter schools but then said he has voted for funding of two Tulsa schools.
The suit failed in the courts and the board declined to appeal.
Jacobs said Livingood wasted thousands of dollars on a frivolous lawsuit. TPS had to pay lawyers to fight the suit and then the State of Oklahoma had to pay to defend it.
“He created this bill and then paid for it with taxpayer money,” Jacobs said. “He was suing ‘Mom and Dad.’ He forced the state to use tax dollars to defend it. If I am elected, I will work with the Legislature.”
Livingood was appointed to the board in 2001. He ran unopposed in 2002 and was re-elected in 2006. He is a solo attorney in private practice. He is a lay member of the Oakerhater Community, an order within the Episcopal Church.
Jacobs completed her B.S. Pharm D.D.S. at The University of Iowa. She completed her residency in anesthesiology at The University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. She completed her Pharm D at OU. She was director of Dental Anesthesiology, also holding joint appointments at the College of Dentistry and of Medicine at Oral Roberts University.
Jacobs has lectured at numerous professional seminars. She has prepared and written test questions for national boards, teaching numerous courses approved by the Oklahoma State Board of Dentistry.
She is challenging Livingood because she wants to see better results from public schools.
“I am interested in quality education,” Jacobs said. “I understand the education process. I understand what employers look for.”
With the state trimming aid to public schools, Jacobs said the first place to make cuts is with highly paid administrators.
“No one in education should be making more than the governor,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs wants to know why the school board agreed to teacher raises right before announcing furloughs 60 days later.
One easy area to cut would be the travel by education administrators, she added.
She is opposed to a proposed $350 million-plus bond issue that would raise property taxes.
America is the executive director of Up With Trees, and previously served as aide of communications and special projects for ex-mayor Kathy Taylor, communications coordinator for the City of Tulsa and managing editor of the Tulsa Sentinel. America volunteers with PlaniTulsa, Habitat for Humanity and the Eisenhower International School PTA.
Gray has been as a TPS School Board member since 1996. She is a realtor and her past experience includes the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and other community organizations.