Two challengers oust Wichita school board incumbents in final unofficial results

Wichita voters ousted two school board members Tuesday in a test of the new district-based voting system.

Amy Warren and Amy Jensen, both Democrats, defeated Republicans Hazel Stabler and Kathy Bond. Stabler and Bond were elected under a school district-wide voting system that was replaced by voters in 2022.

Incumbents Diane Albert and Julie Hedrick, both Republicans, retained their seats

Warren, the only candidate whose children are students in the district, defeated Stabler, a renowned fashion designer who received a boost in campaign contributions in the lead-up to the general election.

And it wasn’t particularly close; Warren (2,936) had more than twice as many votes as Stabler (1,241) in District 6 in the central part of the school district.

“It’s a pretty exciting deal for me, and having that many people support a parent who said, I think we can do better,” Warren said. “We can feel really proud of what we do at Wichita schools, and there are places where we can ask for more.”

“I’ve spent years with my kids in their school, trying to focus on relationships with the parents and trying to get people and community involved,” Warren said. “And this is one of the payoffs, and I’m just really excited that people saw some subjects that I wanted to focus on, and it meant something to them, and that they feel like they can trust me to try to speak up and make some positive change.”

Jensen, a retired English teacher, topped Bond, the only board member to oppose a $450 million bond issue, by nearly 400 votes in District 5, according to unofficial Election Night results. District 5 is in the west part of the school district.

“I think we saved public education tonight,” Jensen said. “I’m going to hold my campaign promises where I’m going to work hard to make sure our teachers are taken care of, our students are getting a quality education and we are making Wichita Public Schools the best schools that we possibly can.”

All four victorious candidates have said they would support the district asking voters again to approve a bond issue for upgraded facilities, with some caveats. Voters narrowly rejected a $450 million bond issue in February.

Nine candidates faced off for four open seats on the seven-member Wichita Public Schools USD 259 Board of Education. Residents in Districts 1, 2, 5 and 6 had the chance to choose who will represent them.

These elected officials help manage the district’s policies, set goals for schools and make decisions that affect nearly 50,000 students across almost 90 campuses. They’re also responsible for allocating nearly $1 billion in annual funding and reviewing and approving teachers’ union agreements.

The positions are unpaid and have no term limits. School board elections are also nonpartisan, meaning candidates’ political affiliations do not appear on the ballot.

District 1

Albert, school board president and District 1 incumbent, appeared on the ticket alongside political newcomer Mackenzi Truelove.

Albert was not available for comment Tuesday night.

Albert said during the campaign that her focus is on raising test scores and graduation rates. She also said at a recent candidate forum that she would support another bond issue, one with more community input and clarified language.

Albert was elected in 2021 as part of a four-candidate slate put forward by the Republican Party in a nationwide focus on local school-board races amid COVID-19 restrictions and other issues, including critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion. Albert, Bond and Stabler protested mask mandates at their first board meeting in 2022 and refused to wear face coverings, causing the meeting to be canceled.

District 1 stretches from Central to 69th Street between I-135 and Webb.

District 2

District 2, which includes parts of east and southeast Wichita, saw three candidates campaign for the district seat: Julie Hedrick, Brent Davis and Valerie Most.

Hedrick, the incumbent, won a third four-year term on the board after receiving 3,102 votes to Davis’ 1,741 and Most’s 577.

She worked in Wichita Public Schools’ facilities division for nearly 30 years before joining the board in 2018. She served as vice president in 2020 and 2022. Throughout her campaign and while on the board, Hedrick has prioritized teachers and other USD 259 employees, supporting facility improvements and passing a bond issue.

Tuesday didn’t mark Davis’ first time on a school board ballot. The former American Academy principal ran for an at-large position on the board in 2021 and 2023. He was the sole Republican on the slate of four in 2021 to lose after he proposed conducting a COVID-19 experiment on students.

District 5

One vote separated Kathy Bond and Amy Jensen in the August primary. Jensen built on her momentum for the general election, receiving 2,418 votes to Bond’s 2,021.

District 5 extends north to 17th Street, south to 31st and from Meridian to 119th Street.

Bond has served on the board since 2022. She raised the second most money of all the school board candidates during the general election fundraising cycle — $11,342, according to campaign filings. She has worked for Wichita Public Schools and currently works as a guest teacher for the Derby School District.

Last year, Bond was the only board member to vote against putting the school bond issue on the ballot. She did not answer a phone call Tuesday night.

Jensen taught in public schools in nearby Maize and Clearwater for 31 years and has lived in District 5 for nearly as long. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Butler Community College. Her experience as an educator, Jensen said, motivated her commitment for improving recruitment, retention and professional development for teachers at Wichita Public Schools.

Jensen also hopes to provide additional resources and training to support youth literacy and to finance appropriate facilities maintenance and upgrades, she said.

District 6

District 6, which sits between the I-135 and I-235 highways, also had two candidates vying for a school board seat.

Incumbent Hazel Stabler raised the most money of any candidate in the school board race during the general election reporting period. But she was unable to hold onto her seat against Amy Warren.

Warren finished Election Night with 2,936 votes to Stabler’s 1,241. Stabler did not respond to a phone call Tuesday night.

Warren has three children in the Wichita Public School district and served on the state board of education’s blue ribbon task force on cell phones in classrooms last year. She built her campaign on reducing distracting technology in school and offering staff competitive pay and benefits.

Warren also said she would work to help put forth another bond issue that’s a better fit for members of the community.

This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 7:35 PM.