The race for five seats on the Kansas State Board of Education could dramatically shift the board’s political makeup, which could reshape academic standards or the way schools approach social-emotional learning.
Two Black women – Betty Arnold and Beryl New – could help main that moderate balance.
District 8 Kansas School Board member Betty Arrnold is seeking reelection to her seat. that represents Wichita on the board. She is currently one of three Democrats on the 10-member board.
Beryl New, a retired Topeka School administrator and Democrat, is running for the District 6 seat on the board. If she wins, she would replace Deena Haas, a moderate Republican and could possibly help increase the number of Democrats on the board by one – depending on what happens in other races.
Currently, four of the 10 board members — Michelle Dombrosky, Cathy Hopkins, Dennis Hershberger and Danny Zeck — are conservative Republicans who campaigned in recent elections against what they described as “woke” leanings in public schools.
They spoke out against lessons on racism, sexuality and gender identity, as well as efforts to be more inclusive of trans kids. Several times, the four conservative board members have voted no or abstained on key policy decisions, including allocations to local districts of millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funding.
The four conservatives are currently balanced against a mix of three Democrats and three moderate Republicans.
This year, three of the board’s moderate members — Deena Horst of Salina, Ann Mah of Topeka and Jim McNiece of Wichita — are not running for reelection. And that worries some public school advocates.
Adding just two conservatives to the board would change the balance.
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November Election Could Shift Kansas State Board of Education to the Right
Also up for reelection is Melanie Haas, who joins Arnold and Ann Mah of Topeka as the Democrats on the board. She represents District 2, which covers parts of Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
Also, Suburban Wichita voters should pay attention to the race for District 10, which mostly encompasses the area just south of Wichita, Democrat Jeff Jarman faces Republican Debby Potter for the seat being vacated by moderate Republican Jim McNiece. Votes in this seat are important to hold the moderate power balance on the board.