EDUCATION
Kimberly Marsh
Kyra Carby, successfully earned more that 66% of voter support, securing the Tulsa Public Schools, District 3 seat on Tuesday, Apr. 1. Illustration, The Oklahoma Eagle.
Kyra Carby, a Black/Mvskoke Creek former educator, has won the District 3 seat for the Tulsa School Board. With all 18 precincts reporting, Carby won with 66.6 percent of the votes. Her opponent, Dorie Simmons, took 33.3 percent. A total of 842 votes were cast in the election. District 3 encompasses a large part of north Tulsa and includes McLain High School. The seat was recently vacated by Dr. Jennettie Marshall. She decided not to run again.
Carby faced Simmons, a Tulsa real estate agent and District 3 parent, in a runoff on April 1. Carby, 39, previously worked in District 3 schools Oak Crest, John Hope Franklin and Emerson. She is a City of Tulsa community genealogy grant coordinator.
On the campaign trail, Carby emphasized her willingness to challenge systemic issues to improve student educational outcomes as well as school board relationships. She is an advocate for classroom autonomy, site-specific professional development and mentorship for new teachers. She has pledged a commitment to creating more community engagement opportunities outside of regular meetings for the public to interact with board members.
In her role, Carby will face challenges. They include teacher shortages, proposed legislative changes affecting students, fiscal accountability reinforcement and the need to balance various stakeholder interests. Carby said she is willing to oppose policies she believes are harmful to students and teachers. She sees the board’s role as one that must actively work to bridge the TPS district, schools, and communities. Read more about the candidates on TheOkEagle.com website.
