Board of Education Seat Vacancy

Okarche Public Schools Board of Education Seat Vacancy:

The Okarche Public Schools Board of Education would like to announce the vacancy of school board seat #3, due to a resignation. The board of education is made up of five individuals. Due to this recent vacancy, the remaining sitting four board members will appoint an individual to fill the remaining term of seat #3, which expires April of 2028.

The Okarche Public Schools Board of Education is taking applications from those individuals interested in filling the remaining term of seat #3. Qualifications are listed below. 

Those individuals interested should submit, in writing, the individual’s name, physical address, phone number, and a brief description of why the individual is seeking to fill this position. Applications should be submitted to Superintendent of Schools, Josh Sumrall, at email address sumrallj@okarcheschools.org, mailing address PO Box 276, Okarche, Ok. 73762 (Attention: Superintendent, Josh Sumrall), or delivered in person to the Superintendent’s Office at 632 W. Oklahoma Ave., Okarche, Ok. 73762. 

Applications are due Friday, October 23, 2026, by 3:00pm. If submitting by email or physical mail, please make sure a response is made, by the superintendent, confirming the application was received.

School board member qualifications:

Residency: To be eligible to be a candidate for member of the board of education of a school district, a person must have resided in the district for at least six months preceding the first day of the filing period, and have been a registered voter registered with the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period. In school districts that have been divided into election districts, a candidate must have resided in the district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period and have been a registered voter registered within the county election board at an address located within the geographical boundaries of the election district for six months preceding the first day of the filing period. 26 O.S. § 13A-106.

Education: No person shall be eligible to be a candidate for or elected to be a member of the board of education of a school district unless the person has been awarded a high school diploma or certificate of high school equivalency. 26 O.S. § 13A-106.

Criminal history: A person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state or of the United States or who has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such misdemeanor involving embezzlement or felony or who has been convicted of a crime in another state which would have been a misdemeanor involving embezzlement or a felony under the laws of this state or has entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to such crime shall not be eligible to be a candidate for or be elected to any state, municipal, judicial, or school office or any other elective office of any political subdivision of this state for a period of fifteen years following completion of his sentence or during the pendency of an appeal of such conviction or plea.

Conflicts and nepotism: No candidate shall be eligible to be a candidate for or serve on a board of education if he or she is currently employed by the school district governed by that board of education or is related within the second degree by affinity or consanguinity to any other member of the board of education or to any employee of the school district governed by the board of education. 70 O.S. § 5-113.

Who are “second degree” relatives?

● Spouse
● Child or Child’s Spouse
● Parent or Parent’s Spouse
● Grandchild or Grandchild’s Spouse
● Grandparent or Grandparent’s Spouse
● Sibling or Sibling’s Spouse
● Spouse’s Child or Spouse’s Parent
● Spouse’s Grandchild or Spouse’s Grandparent
● Spouse’s Sibling
● Siblings of “half-blood,” meaning that two individuals share one parent, are considered equal to a full sibling sharing two parents.

Responsibility of board members, per the Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA):

Local boards govern local school districts. Board actions affect the families of hundreds — even thousands — of students and employees. The duties of a board member include working with other board members to craft policies, approve a budget, and hire/supervise the superintendent who serves as CEO. They help set the vision for the school district with student support and success at the center of every decision. It’s an important commitment and should be considered thoughtfully.