Dillin wins re-election to Stillwater school board in landslide

Rachel Dillin won re-election to the Stillwater Board of Education Tuesday, defeating challenger Nathan Brubaker by a nearly four-to-one margin to secure a second term on the Seat 1 bench.

Dillin received 1,239 votes — 75.32 percent — to Brubaker's 406 votes, or 24.68 percent, with all 26 precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board.

"I'm really grateful to the Stillwater community for their overwhelming support and their trust in me," Dillin said Tuesday night. "I think that this shows that the families and the people we serve in the community are happy with the meaningful progress that we've made — and they think that we're on the right track."

Dillin was appointed to the board in 2023 to replace longtime member Camille DeYong and was seeking election for the first time. She serves as editor in chief at Soap Hub, an online entertainment publication.

The result gives Dillin a five-year term as the district navigates a significant period of growth and financial decision-making, including the phased opening of a new high school beginning with ninth grade in fall 2026, and the management of Google data center tax payments projected to bring Stillwater Public Schools more than $17 million over 25 years from the first two phases of the project.

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Dillin said one of her top priorities heading into the new term is developing the district's first formal long-term strategic plan — something she said the board has not had during her time on it.

"We usually have a planning session in the summer and plan for the year, but I think our goal is to also start to look out a little bit further into the future," she said. "It will be adaptable as things change — I'm sure the board several years back was never anticipating COVID — but I think it will help us measure whether we are hitting the progress and the goals that we want."

She also pointed to the upcoming school restructuring as an immediate focus. The district plans to shift ninth grade to the new high school in fall 2026, then move seventh grade up the following year and transition fifth grade into what will likely be called an upper elementary or intermediate school.

On the Google PILOT payments, Dillin said conversations on the campaign trail sparked an idea she wants to explore: using some of the revenue to establish an endowment that could continue generating returns for the district long after the 25-year payment period ends.

"I think creating an endowment — I'm not sure exactly what it would look like or what it would be for — but I think that's something lasting that can make that money continue to work for our district for decades," she said.

She pointed to Google's existing relationship with the district as evidence of what that partnership could look like going forward. In October 2025, Google donated $600,000 to Stillwater Public Schools — $500,000 for LED lighting upgrades across district facilities and $100,000 for Chromebooks for kindergarten and first-grade students and a new College and Career Pathways computer lab at Stillwater High School.

"Already this year they gave us a $600,000 gift," Dillin said. "Those are important things — it costs money — and I do foresee those types of partnerships continuing."

Dillin also said she came away from the campaign with a broader sense of what the community wants from the district. Voters, she said, want multiple pathways for students — not just college preparation, but workforce and career-readiness tracks as well.

She credited Brubaker for a substantive race and said she found value in his ideas, including his proposal for an on-site teacher daycare that could also serve as a student internship site.

"That was an interesting idea and really a potential way to differentiate ourselves in order to retain our excellent teachers," she said. "I can't make any promises, but I certainly would be willing to talk about it more. And as a mom, I like the idea tremendously."

Brubaker, a regional career development coordinator for CareerTech, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.

Precinct-level results show Brubaker ran most competitively in the northeastern portion of the district, particularly in precincts 404, 407, 408, 409, and 410, which cover areas north and east of downtown Stillwater. He carried precinct 404 — the largest of his wins — 21 to 14. Dillin's strongest precinct was 403, where she won 13 to 1.

Results are pending certification by the Payne County Election Board.