Here’s who’s running to replace retiring Wichita school board president Sheril Logan

Wichita school board president Sheril Logan does not plan to run for re-election this year, setting the stage for a contest between at least three candidates vying to replace her in the lone at-large seat on the board.

“It has been an extremely difficult decision because WPS has been a part of my life as an employee or volunteer for over 50 years. But I have decided not to run for the school board again,” said Logan, who has served on the board since 2011, including six stints as president.

One candidate who hopes to succeed Logan is Melody McCray-Miller, who served as a Democratic representative in the Kansas Statehouse from 2005-2013 and as a Sedgwick County Commissioner from 1996-2000.

“I am very happy that quality candidates like Ms. Miller have decided to run for the at large board position,” Logan told The Eagle. “It will make my decision not to run easier if I know the focus will stay on what is right for all kids.”

Other candidates who have already filed are Republican Jacob Bakk, a retired aircraft mechanic and pilot who said he’s running on a platform of parents’ rights and instilling “biblical principles” in the public education system, and Jesse Borosky, a doctoral student at Wichita State University whose campaign material advertises him as a member of the Kansas Green Party.

“I’ve been out of politics and out of that life for a little bit, but there was just this tug and this yearn that I said it’s time for me to run and it’s time for me to win so that there will be a voice for people that look like all of us,” McCray-Miller told a group of supporters at the Sedgwick County Election Office, where she officially filed to run Thursday.

“When we look at our district right now, our district is a majority minority district and that is not reflected in the school board.”

The only non-white member of the school board is Hazel Stabler, who was elected in 2021 and is of Native American descent.

Bakk, 69, told The Eagle that schools are “kind of leaving God out of the picture, and I don’t like that at all. ... I’m wanting to get more back to the biblical side of things — basing it on the Bible and how God wants us to take care of our kids.

“I’d like to see more basics — reading, writing, arithmetic and civics — teaching kids a commitment to this country and to the nation, to their heritage.”

Originally from Pennsylvania, Borosky, 30, came to Wichita to join WSU’s clinical community psychology doctoral program.

“My background being clinical psychology, I have a particular interest in the mental and behavioral health of our children,” Borosky said.

“Right now, we know that Kansas is doing just about the worst out of any other state in terms of mental health resources, and this is taking a large toll on the children and adolescents of Wichita.”

Borosky said he’s a strong supporter of restorative practices in schools, an approach to addressing disruptive behavior that de-emphasizes student discipline in favor of facilitating conversations between affected parties.

McCray-Miller, 66, currently teaches American government classes at WSU. Before being elected to the County Commission, she taught five years at Mayberry Middle School and Southeast High School. Her great grandchildren currently attend Wichita schools.

“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and work with everyone but I’m also ready to speak truth and talk about issues of accountability that I believe need to be addressed,” McCray-Miller said.

“Consistency in accountability across the board will improve our academic outcomes as well as our disciplinary challenges that we have at USD 259.”

She said the policy and budgeting experience she gained from her time in state and local government makes her the most qualified candidate for the job.

Bakk said honesty and transparency are the most important qualities in a school board representative. He said it’s the board’s responsibility to bring parents into the decision-making process for schools.

“We need to have more openness as far as school board meetings and making it easier for the parents to become involved in like the PTA meetings and all the other things that parents can become involved in,” Bakk said.

“Parents should have more say-so in the public school. Give more power to the parents. The Bible says ‘Children, obey your parents.’”

Borosky said the school board must also be responsive to the needs of the district’s more than 5,600 employees.

“I care very much about workers’ rights. I would like to work very closely with the teachers union and SEIU to make sure that we are hearing the needs of the employees of the school,” Borosky said.

Wichitans voted 2 to 1 last November to switch to a district-specific voting system for school board elections, but the at-large representative on the board is still selected by voters across the city.

The primary election is Aug. 1. The general election is Nov. 7. The District 3 and District 4 school board seats currently held by Ernestine Krehbiel and Stan Reeser will also be on the ballot.

This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 3:24 PM.