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Paula Lewis wins reelection as OKCPS school board leader • Oklahoma Voice

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Paula Lewis wins reelection as OKCPS school board leader • Oklahoma Voice


OKLAHOMA CITY — An incumbent school board leader in Oklahoma City Public Schools won reelection in dominant fashion Tuesday.

Paula Lewis secured another four years as board chairperson in the Oklahoma City district by earning 53.54% of the vote, crossing the 50% threshold needed to win the seat without continuing to a general election. 

She defeated Niah Spriggs, who earned 29.69% of the vote, and Jan Barrick with 16.76%.

Lewis, 54, ran on her record of leading the school board through a transformative era in the district’s history since she became chairperson in 2017, a period that includes carrying out a massive school consolidation plan in 2019, weathering the COVID-19 pandemic and securing a historic $955 million bond issue in 2022. 

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“We have really smart kids,” Lewis said as the final results rolled in Tuesday night. “They weren’t able to get the resources they needed soon enough, and we’re getting them there. We’ve right-sized the budgets. We’ve passed the bond. We’ve done all the things, and now our kids are ready to go. We’re going to really change lives in the next four years.”

She fended off Spriggs, 50, and Barrick, 73 — two first-time candidates who campaigned for change in a district that has chronically suffered from low reading and math scores.

Barrick did not return a request for comment Tuesday night.

Niah Spriggs earned 29.69% of the vote, falling short of Paula Lewis, in the election for the board chairperson seat on the Board of Education in Oklahoma City Public Schools. (Photo provided)

Spriggs, an educator and former businesswoman, said the results were “sad for the children of Oklahoma.” She said the state has “allowed the system to fail for so long, it’s going to be very difficult to pull ourselves out of this hole.”

“Hopefully we can make some impactful change, hopefully starting the conversation,” Spriggs said when reached Tuesday night. “Because before Jan (Barrick) and I started talking about this, everything was the status quo.”

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Spriggs also lamented the large amount of money poured into the race.

Lewis raised $66,640 for her reelection campaign, public records show. Spriggs raised $4,250 and loaned her campaign $1,200, according to campaign finance records.

Jan Barrick finished third in the race for the school board chairperson seat in Oklahoma City Public Schools with 16.76% of the vote. (Photo provided)

Barrick, the former owner of the curriculum and testing provider Alpha Plus Educational Systems, hasn’t filed any documents detailing her campaign fundraising or spending. 

Lewis, an occupational therapist, pledged to continue steady leadership as the board develops a new strategic plan focused on student outcomes. She said the goal is for the board to spend 50% of its meetings discussing academic results and student achievement.

This will be her final term on the school board, she said. Her son, Reign, will be in the final months of his senior year of high school when her term comes to a close in 2029.

“I won’t run again because I feel like being a parent has been a game changer,” Lewis said. “Sitting in this seat, it has allowed me to see the decisions we take votes on from a parent’s view and how that affects me at my house and my children, as well as from a district policy level.”

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Two other board incumbents, Carole Thompson from District 1 and Vice Chairperson Lori Bowman from District 2, automatically were reelected to four-year terms after not drawing opponents.

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Oklahoma lawmakers ask Supreme Court to let customers join ONG rate hike case

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Oklahoma lawmakers ask Supreme Court to let customers join ONG rate hike case


As an Oklahoma utility company seeks a multimillion-dollar rate increase, two Oklahoma state representatives are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to give customers a voice.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is currently deciding on a $29 million rate increase for Oklahoma Natural Gas.

If approved, officials say it would mark the fourth rate hike the OCC has approved for ONG in the last four years and has led to an $128 million increase in customer bills.

Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, and Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, have filed an appeal with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, saying customers weren’t given a chance to participate in the case.

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“The OCC has gone completely off the beam,” ONG customers Gann and Kevin West told the Supreme Court in their June 17 petition.

In the filing, they claim that the OCC set a March 27 deadline to intervene in ONG’s rate case but only set it after the deadline had already passed.

They say ONG’s customers weren’t notified about the case until late April.

“This case was rigged from the start to keep ONG ratepayers out,” said Gann. “The federal courts have said utility customers have constitutional due process rights – including a right to timely and adequate notice about these cases. We are asking the Supreme Court to uphold customers’ rights and require the OCC to change its rules to respect them. ONG ratepayers should be allowed to exercise their right to participate without being muzzled.”

The commissioners are expected to make a final decision on the $29 million rate increase later this year.

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ONG, the OCC, and the attorney general have 30 days to respond to Gann and Kevin West’s latest ONG appeal.



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Most Oklahoma voters didn’t cast a ballot during June’s primary election

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Most Oklahoma voters didn’t cast a ballot during June’s primary election


Just 26%, or about one in four registered Oklahoma voters, cast a ballot in the race, according to an analysis of the results.

In total, 630,085 people weighed in on a state question to gradually increase the minimum wage. It was the only race open to Democrats, Republicans and independents, who weren’t eligible to vote in partisan races.

Democrats have typically opened their closed primaries to include independents, but failed to submit the paperwork for this year’s primaries on time. Some voters expressed frustration with the system on election day.

This year’s polls drew fewer voters than in 2018, the last time there was a similar gubernatorial race without incumbents. The election included a state question to approve medical marijuana, and 44% of registered voters cast ballots.

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There are almost 1.3 million registered Republicans in Oklahoma, but the GOP race for governor only garnered about 400,000 ballots. Out of more than 613,000 registered Democrats, only about 172,000 voted in Tuesday’s election.

Even though general elections are usually better attended, Oklahoma’s numbers were also low during the 2024 presidential election. One report from the University of Florida rated Oklahoma’s turnout at the time as the lowest in the nation.





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Oklahoma Adds OF Adi Hansen From Southern Idaho

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Oklahoma Adds OF Adi Hansen From Southern Idaho


NORMAN — Oklahoma softball’s transfer portal activity may have been fairly slow developing.

But now, as the portal window nears its end, the Sooners have started having success.

Oklahoma added outfielder Adi Hansen, a standout at the College of Southern Idaho for the last two seasons on Thursday.

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Hansen’s announcement, made on Instagram, followed shortly after Middle Tennessee outfielder Macie Harter announced her commitment to the Sooners.

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Hansen led the Golden Eagles with a .457 batting average in 186 at bats in 2026, with an eye-popping 82 runs scored and a school-record 62 stolen bases on 67 attempts.

Hansen had 17 games with two or more stolen bases this season and twice had four stolen bases in a game.

Hansen had four triples and 21 RBIs, drawing 23 walks.

She earned NJCAA first-team All-America honors, helping her team finish 43-13 with a NJCAA Division I Juco World Series appearance.

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In 2025, as a freshman, Hansen hit .401 with 36 stolen bases and 62 ruyns scored.

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Hansen is a Logan, Utah, product.

Hansen and Harter join a group of outfielders that includes Kai Minor in centerfield and Ella Parker in right field.

The Sooners lost Abby Dayton to graduation and Kasidi Pickering to transfer after the season. Pickering will reportedly transfer to Texas Tech.

Oklahoma finished 52-10 last season, missing the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2015 after falling to Mississippi State in three games in the Norman Super Regional.

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The Sooners have a strong incoming recruiting class and return a trio of pitchers — Audrey Lowry, Miali Guachino and Allyssa Parker — as well as experienced hitters Kendall Wells, Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas plus Minor and Ella Parker.

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In addition to the departures of Dayton and Pickering, the Sooners also lost pitchers Sydney Berzon and Kierston Deal, first baseman Isabela Emerling, and second baseman Ailana Agbayani to graduation. Outfielder Tia Milloy, pitcher Berkley Zache and utility player Riley Zache also entered the transfer portal.

Oklahoma’s incoming class includes Edmond Santa Fe pitcher Keegan Baker, Lakewood, Calif., infielder Ki’ele Ho-Ching, Mililani, Hawaii, infielder Ori Mailo, Fullerton, Calif., pitcher Malaya Majam-Finch, Katy, Texas, pitcher EK Smith, and Mesa, Ariz., outfilder Payton Westra.

Mailo was with the Sooners this season, redshirting after joining the program a year early.

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