WICHITA, Kansas — Two conservative Republicans won seats on the Kansas State Board of Education late Tuesday, shifting the board’s ideological balance and potentially reshaping what’s taught in public schools.
Republican Debby Potter, a homeschooler who supports school choice, was in the lead in District 10 near Wichita, well ahead of Democrat Jeffrey Jarman and Independent Kent Rowe in unofficial election results.
In District 4 in northeast Kansas, Republican Connie O’Brien — a retired teacher who served four terms in the Kansas House — edged Democrat Kris Meyer with 51% of the vote.
Potter and O’Brien both advocate for parents’ rights and against social-emotional learning in public schools. On her campaign website, O’Brien says she opposes diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, books about gender identity, and what she calls “transgender nonsense.”
If Tuesday’s election results are confirmed, Potter and O’Brien would join four other conservative board members for a 6-4 majority on the board.
Neither candidate responded to requests for interviews and did not submit responses to a KMUW Voter Guide questionnaire.
Two incumbent Democrats — Betty Arnold in Wichita and Melanie Haas in Johnson County — appeared to hold onto their seats on the state board, based on unofficial results late Tuesday.
Democrat Beryl New was leading Republican Bruce Schultz with about 57% of votes in District 6, which includes Lawrence and Topeka.
Arnold, a former Wichita school board member, said she’s concerned that issues such as book-banning have dominated school board races in recent years rather than student achievement.
“I’m more concerned about getting kids to read. I’m more concerned about the percentage of kids that are falling way behind in math,” she said during a Democratic watch party at Wichita State University. “I’m concerned about kids feeling safe, and I have yet to see a kid being killed by books.”
Potter’s campaign website describes her as an advocate for “parental empowerment and school choice.”
Speaking to a Republican women’s club during her primary campaign, Potter said she was running for the state board because she’s concerned about the public schools her grandchildren might attend.
“I want them not to be indoctrinated away from … their faith and away from their parents,” Potter said at the forum. “I feel like there’s a lot of undermining of the families going on.”
Jarman, a Wichita State professor and former Maize school board member, said he wasn’t surprised by the outcome in his heavily Republican district. The District 10 seat is currently held by Jim McNiece, a moderate Republican and former high school principal.
Jarman said he was discouraged by his opponent’s focus on issues like abortion and social-emotional lessons in schools.
“All of the … culture wars never get to the key question of: How does this help us improve student achievement? How does this make students college- and career-ready?” Jarman said. “That’s the important thing the board ought to be focused on.”
Members of the Kansas Board of Education serve four-year terms. They set subject-area academic standards and graduation requirements but do not make specific curriculum decisions — those are up to local school boards.
In this and previous elections, conservatives frustrated with Kansas public school policies have secured seats on the state Board of Education by speaking out against lessons on racism, sexuality and gender identity. They also say parents should have more control over what happens in classrooms.
Currently, four of the 10 board members — Michelle Dombrosky, Cathy Hopkins, Dennis Hershberger and Danny Zeck — campaigned against what they described as “woke” leanings in public schools.
Several times, they have voted no or abstained on key policy decisions, including kindergarten readiness standards and federal funding for homeless students.
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
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