John Croisant

John Croisant was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a high school diploma from Jenks High School and a bachelor's degree from the University of Tulsa in 1999. His career experience includes owning an insurance agency, teaching social studies at Edison Prep, and coaching soccer. Croisant has been affiliated with the Rotary Club of Tulsa and the Tulsa Regional Chamber.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am uniquely qualified to tackle the challenges facing our communities. As a former teacher, coach, local businessman, and dedicated community volunteer, I understand the importance of strong leadership that puts people first. Most importantly, I am a parent who knows that the future of our country depends on the opportunities we create for the next generation. In Congress, I will fight for what is best for our families, our schools, and our economy.

As a parent, I know that real solutions come from listening to families. I will work to ensure that our government is accountable, transparent, and responsive to the people it serves. I will stand up for policies that strengthen education, lower costs for working families, and create a brighter future for our children.

As a former teacher at Edison Prep, I know firsthand how vital it is to invest in education. I am committed to supporting teachers, students, and parents to ensure every child has access to a quality education, regardless of their zip code.

My experience as a coach has taught me the power of teamwork and perseverance. In Congress, I will fight to protect funding for essential programs, including healthcare, housing, childcare, education, infrastructure, and job training, ensuring that every American has the tools to succeed.

I am ready to bring common-sense leadership to Washington. I will fight for hardworking Oklahomans and ensure that our voices are heard.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The affordability crisis is a nation wide issue, but is hurting Oklahomans greatly. The rising costs of healthcare, housing, childcare and other essentials are skyrocketing at a pace that working class Oklahomans cannot keep up with. Americans were promised lower costs, but our current administration is doing nothing to help hard-working Oklahomans and our seniors.I will fight for better education outcomes for Oklahoma students because being 50th in education is not acceptable. First, ensuring the Department of Education is not shut down. Second, I will hold Dept. of Ed. accountable for the outcomes of our students. I will achieve this by bringing federal dollars to local school districts to improve outcomes and giving local districts control over how to use funds to best support their students. Lastly, we will have the Dept. of Ed. recruit and retain teachers because we have a national teacher shortage. We should be addressing this at a local, state, and federal level, to ensure our students are getting the best education possible.People in Washington D.C. do not care about people in Oklahoma. We need to ensure our federal dollars are being controlled locally. This ensures the best possible outcomes for Oklahomans. As your representative, I will fight to bring back essential programs around infrastructure, economic development, and help working Oklahomans whether they be in our cities, suburbs, or in our farming communities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about improving educational outcomes, as a former teacher and current school board member. Serving students has also showed me how outside influences have an impact on our students. Due to this perspective, I have seen the impact of poverty and how it effects students success and overall safety. When we fight for families to have access to affordable childcare, housing, healthcare, and food we are ensuring our students will be more successful. Also as a fifth generation Oklahoma small business owner, I am supportive of helping small businesses thrive. The majority of our workers are employed by small businesses and we do not do enough to support them.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

To represent your constituents.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To work to improve the lives of every Oklahoman.

What do you perceive to be the United States' greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Political divisiveness and inability to think strategically.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe in term limits and will not serve more than 3 terms in the House of Representatives.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

I am proud to represent 34,000 students, 5,500 employees and Tulsans on the Tulsa School Board.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

There needs to be a discussion and regulations regarding AI and data centers.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

End super PACs.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a former teacher and coach at Edison and a current parent of an Edison student. I currently own my own small insurance business. I am currently serving on the board as vice president, am head of the finance committee, and represent Tulsa Public Schools as a director on the Oklahoma State School Board Association.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am focused on student outcomes. When I started on the board there was one discussion a year about student outcomes. Now the board discusses student outcomes once a month. I also helped introduce a new strategic plan, focused on reading proficiency and college and career readiness.Tulsa needs board members that will fight for local control of TPS. The state has used accreditation as a weapon to try and take over TPS and by focusing on student outcomes the board needs to fight to maintain local control of our district.Tulsa Public Schools is for every student, no matter their economic situation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, cultural background, or beliefs. Every student needs to feel safe in TPS and feel loved.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about supporting public education. Politics needs to be left out of the discussion about public schools and they should be funded fully. Oklahoma has neglected to keep up with funding education for decades since the passage of HB 1017 and lags behind other states in the US due to this lack of investment. We have caught up to the regional average for teacher pay, but lag behind in the number of teachers and staff in our buildings, leaving our students in over packed classrooms. If Oklahoma invests in public education, our 700,000 public school students will all benefit.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I have a political science and secondary social studies degrees from the University of Tulsa. I have learned that the US and

Oklahoma specifically have very rich and at times difficult histories. I look up to my family that are 4 generations of Oklahoma

small business men and women that also gave back to society and believed in education and the arts. i also look up to leaders that did what was best for others, over what was best for them personally, even if it had a cost. You see a history of great Americans that have made sacrifices for the better good, like Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, or Martin Luther King Jr. Americans need to support leaders that are reasonable and work to find a way to do what is best for all Americans.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"Great on Their Behalf" by AJ Crabill.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, respect, humbleness, listening, and hard work.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I was a 6th grade geography teacher and a high school girls soccer coach for 12 years and now own a small business. That has taught me patience and how to get people to work together.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Selecting and holding the superintendent accountable for student outcomes, making sure to do the legal obligations of a school board member, and showing up to meetings prepared.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave TPS with better student outcomes and a culture of supporting TPS as an entire Tulsa community.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I always loved playing outside and running. Since I could stand.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a soccer referee and a bus boy at Charlie Mitchell's. I had those jobs while I was in high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Killers of the Flower Moon and Twelve Years a Slave are my favorite books. You can't read either book without being angry and wanting to do more to support and better understand other cultures.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Batman.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

#41 by Dave Matthews Band

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Trying to do too much.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

To hire the superintendent, listen and share the values of the community and fulfill all of the legal budgetary and other state requirements.

Who are your constituents?

Tulsa Public Schools District 5 residents and all 34,000 TPS Students.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

The board created a strategic plan that includes guardrails to insure we do not sacrifice our values, in order to just achieve better student outcomes. I also feel it is important to recognize as a board our diversity as a district and use it as a strength for our Tulsa

community.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I am a member of the Tulsa Rotary and a parent of a student in my district. I make sure to be involved in as many organizations, non-profits, and attend as many school and community events as possible, in order to hear from the community.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

I spent over 16 years in the classroom and am in my 26th year coaching. Having a professional teacher that is prepared, knows their subject, and cares about their students is paramount to a quality education. Using our strategic plan, we monitor to make sure that the teaching methods we are using are leading to the correct outcomes. If they are not, then it is up to the district to pivot. It is not the board's responsibility to come up with how to teach students or to set standards.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

With our strategic plan we are focused on college and career readiness for high school students. We are offering more vocational programs through Tulsa Tech and at school, concurrent enrollment with TCC, as well as an associates for students in the Edge program at Memorial and McClain, and more AP and IB classes to students in every school.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Funding comes from local, state, and federal dollars, as well as donated funds. Tulsa is a very giving city and citizens have donated and passed bonds for the district for over 20 years, that helps fund programs for our students and the materials they need to be successful. I have worked with other entities to call for additional state and federal funding and the district needs to keep

working with local, state, and federal leaders to make sure we are providing our students all of the resources we can give them to be successful.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

All students should feel safe at school. Understanding each students needs and caring for them will keep them safer from bullying, harming others, or themselves. However, in the world we live in we also need to put resources to technology to keep our

students safe with bond dollars, as well as security to make sure students and staff can concrete on learning.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

I have supported additional counseling for students and staff. The more resources we can give students and staff, the better the outcomes we will see and the safer our schools will be. Much of the issues students and staff face aren't always centered around what happens at school. SO, offering families services through the schools can help the whole community.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Make like a tomato and ketchup.

What existing district policies would you like to change, or what new policies would you like to implement?

I would like to see more community involvement with our local schools to help student outcomes and for the political divisiveness and disruption to stop.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Many Tulsans. I am blessed to have widespread support.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

We need an environment that is safe, respects, all students for who they are, and is focused on meeting goals that are not only grade appropriate, but meets students at the point they are starting, whether it be as as a student that needs additional supports or for our gifted and talented students.

How do you feel like your school district handled the coronavirus pandemic? What, if anything, would you do differently in the future?

We did the best we could with the data to keep kids safe and are now using every resource we have been given to help students catch up with the learning loss that all students across the country faced during the pandemic.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

I am very accessible and respond to all emails, along with attending a number of events to get feedback from parents and the community.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

I support the district in looking within our community and outside to recruit teachers and staff to our district.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe government organizations should follow all laws for transparency and accountability.

John Croisant did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Croisant's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Education is the foundation which we build our community on. It is time for strong leadership that is going to put education first today, to insure the success of Oklahoma tomorrow. Our State’s next generation of job-creators are in school right now, so let’s make sure they have the tools and opportunities to succeed.[6]

—John Croisant[7]