Conservatives looking to cash in on Kansas Board of Education races, including two in Lawrence

TOPEKA — Turnover on the Kansas Board of Education after the November election could tilt the balance of power on the board in favor of conservative members.

Half of the 10 seats on the board are up for election. Republicans currently outnumber Democrats seven to three, but some moderate board members are not seeking re-election, leaving the board facing a potential ideological shift. All five races are contested, with the 12 candidates differing on such key issues as parental rights, public school funding and school safety ahead of Nov. 5.

The board is tasked with overseeing the Kansas Department of Education and overseeing public schools, but has little control over funding, which is the responsibility of the Legislature.

Two incumbents are seeking re-election, and two three-way races could split the conservative vote. Many of the Republican candidates running in this election agree with the conservative faction of the current board on issues such as religion in schools, arming teachers and parental involvement in decisions about instruction and operation.

At a forum in Lawrence on Oct. 6, Northeast 4th District candidate Kris Meyer criticized four conservative members of the current board who she said were “trying to sow distrust in our public schools across the state of Kansas.”

These four board members – Danny Zeck, Michelle Dombrosky, Cathy Hopkins and Dennis Hershberger – will not be eligible for re-election until 2026.

In the 2nd District, which represents school districts in Johnson and Wyandotte counties, incumbent Melanie Haas, a Democrat and technology executive, is trying to keep her seat in a three-way race. He will face Republican challenger Fred Postlewait and independent Kiel Corkran. Haas was first elected in 2020 and is the current chairman of the board. She won the support of the Kansas National Education Association, the state’s public teachers union, and defended full funding of public schools.

Postlewait, a retired computer systems manager, was inspired to run for the board to address declining ACT scores, which had been trending down since 2014 but saw a sharp decline in 2020.

“The train has gone off the tracks,” he wrote on his campaign website.

Corkran does not have a campaign website and did not respond to requests from the Kansas Reflector for an interview.

In northeast Kansas’ 4th District — which includes Baldwin City, Eudora and much of rural Douglas County — Democrat Ann Mah is stepping down from the board after eight years. Running for the position are Republican Connie O’Brien, a former teacher and state representative, and Democrat Meyer, a longtime educator and public school principal.

O’Brien defeated two other GOP candidates in the August primary after Attorney General Kris Kobach endorsed her, urging conservatives to vote for her.

In a video posted on YouTube, she said she would focus on changes in vocational and technical education, supporting parental rights and supporting teachers.

O’Brien, who did not respond to the Kansas Reflector’s requests for comment, told an Oct. 6 candidate forum at the Lawrence Public Library that she did not support vouchers, adding that private and home school parents “don’t want the government in their hands” face “

“But you have to wonder why parents march to the capital every year and ask for such things,” she said.

Meyer told the Kansas Reflector she will focus on fully funding public education, particularly special education, addressing teacher shortages and teacher retention issues, and strengthening student mental health supports.

“I want to make sure the state board continues to set clear standards and advocate for policies and funding that ensure a high-quality education for all students,” she said. “This includes withdrawing from excessive legislative efforts that could impede the state board’s constitutional responsibilities.”

In the 6th District, which covers much of Lawrence’s city limits, Republican Deena Horst is not seeking re-election. Democrat Beryl Ann New, retired director of personnel and capital for Topeka Public Schools, and Republican Bruce Schultz, retired professor of anatomy and physiology at Kansas State University, are running to represent school districts in north central and northeast Kansas, including the cities of Lawrence and Topeka.

New told the Kansas Reflector that if elected, her goal would be to address poor student achievement and school safety in her first year.

“I will work with board members to provide resources to schools whose students have even lower levels of reading comprehension, provide funding to ensure Kansas schools remain safe, and solidly support full funding of all 100-student Kansas schools. it only goes to public schools,” New said.

She also said she supports proven alternative teaching programs to address teacher retention and shortages. At an Oct. 6 forum in Lawrence, New said the main reason teachers were leaving the profession was inadequate pay.

Schultz, who did not respond to Kansas Reflector inquiries, said at the forum that he does not believe raising teacher pay is the right answer to teacher retention and shortage issues. Instead, he advocates for an approach that builds persistence in teaching, he said.

“We need to reform the system to enable and promote greater community engagement,” he said.

Schultz campaigned on prioritizing parental involvement in school decisions, focusing education on math, science, language arts, financial literacy and budget efficiency, according to his campaign website.

In Wichita’s 8th District, incumbent Democrat Betty Arnold, a former Wichita school board member, is seeking to keep the seat she has held since 2021. Her goals include reevaluating achievement measures and outcomes, increasing teacher pay and prioritizing student safety.

“I believe in public education and will continue to support it,” Arnold wrote in an email. “As the focus shifts away from supporting public education, it is critical to have an advocate who understands that public education is a necessity if we want all children to continue to have access to an education.”

Arnold’s opponent, Republican Jason Carmichael, did not respond to requests for comment from the Kansas Reflector. In 2023, he lost his bid for a seat on the board of Unified School District 259 in Wichita. This election was based on the assumption that “parents’ rights are the cornerstone” of society, according to KMUW. Carmichael believes in eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, supports teachers being allowed to carry guns to combat active shooters and opposes mandatory vaccination requirements, according to a questionnaire he completed for iVoterGuide, which is affiliated with the Christian political nonprofit AFA Action.

District 10 in south-central Kansas is a three-way race. Democrat Jeffrey Jarman, Republican Debby Potter and independent candidate Kent Rowe are vying for the seat vacated by moderate Republican Jim McNiece.

Jarman, a communications professor at Wichita State University and a Maize Public School board member, said in an email that he would support stable funding and oppose school vouchers if elected.

“While the Legislature allocates funds, the board plays an important role in advocating for stable funding,” he said. “The current funding formula finally meets the minimum required by the state constitution, but will expire in 2027. I strongly support expanding this formula to provide stability for school districts.”

Jarman said he hopes to support local districts by improving academic performance and allocating existing funds to programs that help “the most vulnerable students.”

“But,” he added, “the board is divided and decisions about how to best support our students are unfortunately politicized.”

Potter, who did not respond to requests for comment from the Kansas Reflector, homeschooled her children and said she was inspired to run while thinking about her grandchildren.

“I want them to not be indoctrinated away from their faith and away from their parents, and I feel like it’s seriously weakening families,” she said at a candidate forum organized by the Sedgwick County Republican Women’s Association ahead of the August primary.

In the primaries, she defeated another Republican Party candidate. “God is her campaign manager,” she said at the forum.

Potter considers herself “very conservative,” she wrote in her responses to an iVoterGuide questionnaire. She supports arming licensed teachers, abolishing the federal Department of Education, and is a strong supporter of parent involvement in schools.

“While I believe private education provides better results for less money, the public has concluded that public education is in its best interest,” she wrote. “To this end, I hope to engage parents and teachers to take more control (as would be the case with private education) by informing them and encouraging increased participation on local school boards.”

Rowe, who did not respond to Kansas Reflector inquiries, is a member of the Kansas Green Party, according to his campaign website. His priorities include maintaining funding for rural public schools, preventing high school book bans and addressing student mental health issues. He is a retired U.S. Air Force professor of aeronautical science and former mayor of Longton, Elk County.

• Anna Kamiński is a reporter for a news service from Topeka Kansas reflector.