Battling over financial issues in Luther, Oklahoma, Jennifer Edmunson is running for the Luther School board to try to salvage what is left of a misappropriation’s disaster.
“Everyone has skin in this game if the district goes down,” Edmunson said.
Edmunson graduated from Oklahoma Christian University with a history degree in 1992, and has three children: Vivian, a senior, is a resident director at Oklahoma Christian, Jack, age 17 and William, age 13.
“My mom is the type of person who is able to see a need, and she doesn’t just sit by and let someone else fix it,” senior Vivian Hoffmeister said. “If she thinks something needs to be done, she is quick to act, especially if the need has to do with taking care of others.”
Edmunson’s interest sparked in August when she started attending school board meetings.
Shortly after, she approached the Luther School Board with hesitations about an article released by Sheldon Buxton, Luther school district superintendent, that encouraged a proposed $33 million bond. In this article, Edmunson said she found parts she felt were unoriginal and out of date.
“The superintendent wrote an article in support of the bond, so I read it,” Edmunson said. “And he mentioned Myspace. I’m thinking, have you been around a kid? I thought ‘he is recycling this, and I want to find out where it came from.’”
She reached out to the school board about her concerns, where she was dismissed.
“I went to the school board and said, ‘you have not cited the copyrighted material, and I just want to know what the school board is going to do about it, because I don’t think you would put up with this from a student in one of the schools,’” Edmunson said. “They blew me off.”
After the September board meeting, Edmunson said she shifted her focus to defeating the bond that, if passed, would raise property taxes 23 percent.
“We got the word out, through word of mouth and signs, and beat that bond 635 to 104, which was a huge turnout,” Edmunson said. “This is the first time a bond has failed in our district.”
After the bond failed, Edmunson continued requesting emails and financial statements through Open Record Requests. She said the more she finds out the worse the situation gets gets.
“I only want the truth,” Edmunson said. “I only want what’s best for those kids, and I only want the best financially for the school district. It’s hard to make everyone understand my motives are pure.”
If Edmunson is elected, she said she plans to push to change the district to a four-day school week in a year round schedule.
“The best thing you can do for that district is marry a year round schedule with a four-day week,” Edmunson said. “You get to tailor it to Luther. There are kids falling asleep in classes the first week of deer-hunting season. It’s a different lifestyle than Edmond.”
Steve Broudy, whose children are in Luther schools, is running against Edmunson. Edmunson, on the other, homeschools her two youngest children, causing some debate in this election.
“They say I’m smart, they say I’ve done my homework, it’s just that I don’t have kids in the district,” Edmunson said.
Elementary Education major Colby Lauxman said she understands the hesitation from voters because Edmunson homeschools. Edmunson sends her children to a co-op, which Lauxman said is beneficial to their education.
“She appears to be a very determined person, so I don’t doubt that she will do the research for what is best for the community,” Lauxman said. “Every family’s situation is different, and people homeschool for different reasons. But, I think it is important that Edmunson uses a co-op, because then her children are still getting a piece of what private or public school is like.”
Edmunson said she is running so that every child will have the education they deserve.
“Here’s the thing: just because I choose to educate my kids differently, doesn’t mean I don’t absolutely want the best for every child,” Edmunson said. “I teach two, some of these teachers will have 30 kids in their classroom. That teacher does way harder work than I do, why would I not want to give them the best?”
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