Ashley Cross
Non-Partisan | Oklahoma
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
*Additional information appears below for educational purposes; however, only data received prior to the candidate deadline was considered during Panel Evaluation.
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Ashley Cross
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2022
Election
Sapulpa City Council & Tulsa Co. School Boards General
Race
Jenks School Board, Ward 2
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
University of Oklahoma, Norman, Interior Design, 2005
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Jenks Southeast PTA V, Vice President, Secretary, Jenks Public Schools Foundation
Board Member, American Society of Interior Design, Former member
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
none
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
none
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (5)
Jim Bridenstine- US Congressman (R) and former NASA Administrator -served under President Trump
Governor Kevin Stitt (R)
Tulsa County GOP
School Boards 4 Kids, Oklahoman's For Health and Parental Rights
Justin Hininger, Mac Keely, Kyle Zimmerman
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (1)
WinRed (2020)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (0)
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Campaign Committee Statement of Organization - 2/9/2022
OTHER INFORMATION
Board of Education Declaration of Candidacy
Primary and Local Election Voting History for Ashley Speegle Cross during time of residence in district and/or at current address:
- Voted in 1 Primary election 2016 - 2020
- Voted in 1 Presidential Preferential Primary election 2016 - 2020
- Voted in 2 local elections (Annual School Elections) 2017 & 2018
Voter Record from Tulsa County Clerk indicates candidate's Political Affiliation is Republican (as of 1/12/2022).
QUESTIONNAIRE*
*Additional information was received after the evaluation was assigned and was not considered in the Panel Evaluations, therefore it is for additional educational purposes only.
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Agree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Strongly Disagree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
Public education dollars are the single highest appropriation from our state budget. All Oklahoman's deserve full transparency on how those funds are spent. The school board is where parents and teachers should have a direct line for any questions to be answered. When outcomes are not as well as expected, or the school is not ensuring a safe learning environment then there should be action to improve and spend those dollars more wisely.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
Students should not be allowed to pray in school.
Strongly Disagree
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
To uphold the constitution and follow Title 70-5-116 oath of office. As a local school board member, I will address the safety of children in the bathrooms, work to improve educational outcomes, and be a voice and advocate for parents and teachers to work together to achieve and excellent learning experience for all. students.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
I believe we should be studying other states that have exemplary outcomes in student success. Schools should have the flexibility to implement the finest curriculum and tools available for children achieve success. I believe in local control.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Never.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
I believe all core subjects should have priority because that is what preparing our children for success in the future. I believe that we also should place an emphasis on soft subjects such as the arts, language, personal finance, and physical fitness. CRT, SEL and a course on sexuality beyond body development has no place in our schools.
American civics education should emphasize our nation's founding principles of liberty and equality.
Strongly Agree
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Strongly Agree
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.
Strongly Disagree
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a conservative Christian who believes in traditional values.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Strongly Disagree
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
That is up to the parents to make those decisions.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
As referenced above sexuality should provide the basics of how your body develops.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Agree
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
No
A candidate's personal moral values should not be relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Disagree
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
My husband and I are members of a conservative church.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
Ashley Cross is passionate about Oklahoma public education. Born and raised in Duncan, she graduated from Duncan High School in 1999. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2005 with a degree in Interior Design from the College of Architecture. After college, she worked for a commercial design firm bidding and designing commercial jobs. In 2009 her oldest son Liam was born and she devoted herself to being a full-time mom. She now runs her own residential design company in Tulsa. She met her husband Connor at OU. He is a medical doctor, a graduate of OU Health Sciences Center with training at Baptist Integris Hospital in Oklahoma City and Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona. Both Ashley and Connor are proud of the public education they received in Oklahoma and believe that’s what’s best for their children as well. When they moved to Tulsa, they chose their home location based on the school district. Ashley says, “After touring seemingly endless schools, I knew Jenks Public Schools was where I wanted my children to go to school. Like many of you, we bought a home within the district so our kids could attend Jenks.” Ashley has been very supportive and active in Jenks Public Schools. She is currently vice president of the PTA at Southeast Elementary and a board member of the Jenks Public Schools Foundation. She has three little Jenks Trojans, currently in 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades. She will have children in Jenks Southeast Elementary, Jenks East Intermediate, and Jenks Middle School next year. Across the nation and right here in Jenks, America, growing challenges are facing our schools and creating headlines. Many of us made our homes in Jenks so our kids could attend the district schools, yet most are uninvolved in maintaining that quality education.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Did not answer
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
My children are fully vaccinated.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Agree
iVoterGuide Notes:
iVoterGuide Note:
After the voter guide was published, candidate notified iVoterGuide that
the intended answer to this question should have been 'Strongly Disagree'.
