Kevin McWhorter, candidate for Goddard school board

Name: Kevin McWhorter

Age: 63

Occupation: Investment Advisor

Previous government service: Goddard Board of Education. Goddard Education Foundation Board. Wichita Public Library Board. Wichita Public Library Foundation Board. Sedgwick Country Commission District #3 Advisory Board. Wichita State University Board of Trustees.

Have you run for office before? (Please list any previous offices sought)

Goddard USD #265 Board of Education since 2005

What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it?

COVID has been and continues to be the most significant challenge facing schools today. For the 2020-2021 school year masking was mandatory and our team did a great job keeping schools open all year for grades K-8 and 50% for grades 9-12 when many districts went remote. This year we started the year mask optional but as the COVID Delta variant numbers exploded at the beginning of the school year our board made the difficult but correct decision to require masks for K-6 because this age group did not have a vaccine available to them. This kept these kids in school which is where they need to be and kept our doors open. Our 7-12 grades are mask optional since a vaccine is available to this them and we believe it is the choice of the parents and the student as to whether or not they get the vaccine or decide to wear a mask in the building. When the vaccine is available for the K-6 grades, I have no doubt our board will no longer require masks to be worn.

What would your top 3 policy priorities be?

1) Keeping our kids in school and continue providing the best opportunities for each to receive a world class education.

2) Meeting the increasingly difficult challenge of having a great teacher in every classroom to deliver the instruction for each student to succeed in the career path they choose.

3) Communicating with every parent so that they clearly understand for their child to be a successful student that they need to be involved with their child’s education experience everyday.

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