2 candidates with extensive backgrounds in public education compete in state BOE race
Usually a sleepy race, the Kansas Board of Education election has woken up this year, as districts look to the state for guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some observers believe the board is getting more attention than it has in decades as voters grapple with whether to send their children back to classrooms. And new awareness of the board’s role came after it rejected Gov. Laura Kelly’s order delaying the start of school until after Labor Day in a 5-5 vote, two weeks before the primary.
The board’s tie vote — which ultimately left it up to districts to decide when to start the school year — was among the most controversial and high-profile decisions it has made in recent years. And it was a first for the panel, as a new state law requires the governor to seek the board’s permission before closing schools.
Five of the board’s 10 seats are up for election this year, but just two are contested. In District 8 Republican incumbent Kathy Busch, who represents parts of Wichita, is facing Democratic challenger Betty Arnold, a former Wichita school board member. The district includes all or parts of 14 counties, including northern and central Sedgwick County, the northern half of Kingman county and all of Harper and Reno counties.
In Johnson County, Democrat Melanie Haas, a technology executive and entrepreneur, is making her first run for office for the open District 2 seat, which represents parts of Johnson and Wynadotte counties. She is running against Republican Benjamin Hodge, a frequent candidate, who has failed to show up to campaign, debate or explain his platform, in person or online.
Three other board members — Deena Horst, a Republican from Salina; Ann Mah, a Democrat from Topeka, and Jim McNiece, a Republican from Wichita — are running unopposed. McNiece represents district 10 which includes southern and eastern Sedgwick County, the western edge of Butler County and all of Sumner and Harper counties.
Mark Tallman, with the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the state board of education hasn’t received this level of attention since the debates over teaching evolution two decades ago. While Republicans have usually held the majority on the board, which oversees the Kansas State Department of Education, Tallman said there has traditionally been a division among moderates, Democrats and conservatives.
“There have typically been real splits between the more moderate — what I would call supporters of traditional public education — and those who are more skeptical and conservative, and in some ways more willing to challenge the status quo,” he said.
The board, with Republicans holding an 8-2 majority, has been more “united” in recent years, Tallman said. The tie vote this summer showed a rare and stark division. Opponents of Kelly’s order argued that decisions should be left up to local districts. Supporters countered that the virus is affecting the entire state and does not respect city or county borders.
Three of the four board members running for re-election supported Kelly’s order. They included Mah, who represents Topeka and parts of northeast Kansas; McNiece, who represents parts of south-central Kansas, and Busch. Horst was the only one up for reelection who voted no.
Overall, the state board of education is generally tasked with adopting regulations and setting accreditation standards. But as the country reconciles with the impacts of COVID-19 on the public education system, leaders will likely continue to wrestle with the near-sacrosanct value of local control versus state mandates.
The state board approved reopening and safety guidelines for districts before the school year began. And it carved out a vision for districts to offer more individualized learning plans for students, as some learn online and some learn in person, or a mixture of the two, often at their own pace.
But state leaders also will have to determine how much authority the state school board should have in these areas, Tallman said. It’s a decision that could have lasting impacts.
“None of the work the state board has done has been telling local school boards what to do. They have only given guidance to districts,” Tallman said. “If you want a more statewide response, that could be seen as a bad thing. If you like what your own district decided, that could be a good thing.”
“But there are some real questions around who has the authority to order schools to close or open. Or what alternatives can be provided. These are all questions we’ve never confronted before.”
Race in Wichita
Unlike in the Johnson County race, both opponents for the District 8 seat in the Wichita area have extensive backgrounds in public education.
Busch is completing her second term on the state board of education and currently serves as chair. For years, Busch, a Republican, worked as a teacher and building administrator in Kansas, including as assistant superintendent of middle schools for the Wichita school district.
She was among those who voted to delay the start of school, wanting to give teachers and districts more time to plan for the fall semester.
Her Democratic opponent, Arnold, served for 10 years on the Wichita school board. She said she was motivated to run for the state board after realizing the toll the COVID-19 pandemic was taking on the public school system.
“The way that things were being addressed caused me a little bit of concern. I felt like we weren’t really providing, as a state, the solutions or guidance that districts need to navigate this,” Arnold said. “This is an opportunity to re-imagine and redesign the delivery system for education. For years, we have seen very little changes or progress in the way we educate students.”
Arnold also would have delayed the start of school until after Labor Day. But she argued that the state education department and school board should have given districts even more guidance and time to prepare for the school year.
“What have we truly done to ensure the safety of everyone? And what have we gained so far? We’ve gained an exhausted group of educators. We’ve gained teachers who are getting this virus more. We’ve gained students who are exposed,” she said. “What can you pinpoint and show that this has been successful?”
Busch counters that leaders pulled off a herculean task in a short amount of time to ensure that districts had clear recommendations to follow when opening classrooms. And she said that the state’s guidance has been continually updated and discussed by the board.
“In November, we will look at other things we can do to try to help during this tough time. In Johnson County, for example, a lot of folks are still remote, so we need to reevaluate how we can support districts and teachers and address their needs,” she said.
She also touted other steps the board has taken during the pandemic, including earlier this month, agreeing to extend the accreditation cycle for school districts to offer them more time. And Busch argued that since she joined the board, she has helped the state redesign its school system and move toward a new approach of evaluating success for high school graduates.
Under the redesign program, districts create an individual plan of study for all middle and high school students. The road maps would help students align career interests with coursework and plan for two years beyond high school graduation.
Both candidates offer similar views on the future of public education in the state, including a focus on providing each student with a personalized plan for how to reach their career goals after graduation. And both argue that teachers should be given more support during the pandemic.
“They are two different people from two different parties, but there aren’t big issues separating them,” Tallman said.
He argued that having two contested seats this election cycle is not likely to drastically change the direction of the board. But he expects the coronavirus, and the state’s response to controlling it in schools, will keep the spotlight on the board for months or years to come.
“We know that when schools were not open, there were a lot of frustrated parents, understandably. But we also know the board is hearing from a lot of concerned parents and staff that did not want to open too fast,” Tallman said. “So with these races, it will be interesting to see where the public is at on these issues and who they support.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 2:13 PM with the headline "2 candidates with extensive backgrounds in public education compete in state BOE race."
