Brent T. Davis, candidate for 259 school board District 2 in Wichita, KS
Note: Anyone who lives in the Wichita school district can vote in this race.
Name: Brent T. Davis
Age: 58
Occupation: Educator/Entrepreneur--Owner, Complete Education
Previous government service: none
Have you run for office before? (Please list any previous offices sought)
School Board
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it?
Student Academic Achievement: Currently 82% of USD 259 students scored below grade level in math and 77% below grade level in reading on the 2019 Kansas State assessments, the last assessments before the pandemic. We have continued to decline overall during the pandemic. We must make achievement in reading, math, writing and science truly our top priority, it is obviously not currently, and use best practices, a variety of incentives and proper educational management to achieve it. Our goal is 100% of students at or above grade level to graduate, and 100% of USD 259 3rd grade students at or above grade level in reading and math in 2022. There are schools in America that are achieving this; it is not a pipe dream. We care about USD 259 students and obliterating generational poverty, so we will get the job done.
The board’s actions have been dominated this past year and a half by the response to the COVID-19 issue and the policies surrounding it. Please outline what you feel needs to be done to protect our children at this point, and specifically address whether you think a mask mandate for staff and/or students is necessary now. Why or why not?
We believe that parents have the best interests of their children in mind. It is important to the social development of students and the livelihood of families to keep students in school: we want what’s best for students, teachers, families and our community. Given the low mortality of students and young teachers it is reasonable to let them choose, and we can let them freely associate by parental and teacher choice: masked or unmasked. USD 259 and other schools are meeting with masks and there has been no critical covid outbreak. There are schools, and churches, in the area where children and teachers meet as normal with no masks, and they are not suffering critical outbreaks. Socialization is necessary to develop a healthy immune system. Children who develop natural antibodies have superior protection to vaccine developed antibodies. We should try to accommodate families with varying convictions, keeping everyone safe and affirmed.
The district has invested millions of dollars during the pandemic to create the capability of equipping students for remote learning. Now, the state Legislature has prohibited school districts from offering that option to parents on an ongoing basis. Do you agree or disagree with that decision by the Legislature? Why or why not and what, if anything, do you intend to do about it?
Families, kids and our economy need our children in school and that this can be done in a way that can honor parental rights and keep children safe. I think that was the idea the legislators had in mind as well, and this is a bill that Governor Kelly signed into law and did not veto. There is light at the end of the tunnel and the wisdom of the bill will be more evident or not by the end of the school year. We intend to help the schools become the top place that parents want their children to be during the school day.
Campaign website:
Facebook page and/or Twitter handle:
https://www.facebook.com/Brent-Davis-for-School-Board-110130444673135