Meet the 6 candidates running for seats on the KCK school board
Three seats on the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools board of education are up for grabs this year.
All of them are at-large positions, meaning voters across the district will have an opportunity to pick three candidates when they cast their ballots on or before Nov. 4.
KCKPS is one of the largest and most diverse school districts in Kansas.
The district’s standardized test scores have lagged behind the state average in recent years. But last spring, the Kansas State Board of Education restored the district to full accreditation based on school officials’ plan for meeting state academic benchmarks.
In August, at the request of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation into KCKPS and several other districts over their practices affirming transgender students’ identities.
Six candidates are running for seats on the school board, which is also responsible for overseeing the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library.
Two incumbent board members are up for reelection, but a third seat will be filled in accordance with a new state law requiring local school boards to have an odd number of members. When new members are seated in January, the KCKPS board will expand to seven members.
Voters can see sample ballots on the Kansas Secretary of State’s website.
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Candidates for KCKPS school board
Wanda Brownlee Paige
Brownlee Paige, an incumbent board member, also serves as a Kansas state representative. Here’s a link to her Facebook page.
Before running for office, she spent 30 years as a middle school social studies teacher in KCKPS, according to her district bio.
Brownlee Paige has said that KCKPS teacher salaries are competitive with other districts and that any increases will need to be paid for in a way that will not further burden taxpayers. She has also said the district needs to be more strict in enforcing its childhood vaccine requirements.
Sheyvette Dinkens
Dinkens is a former Wyandotte High School business teacher who works as an adjunct professor at several different Missouri colleges, according to her LinkedIn.
Her website describes her as “a published author, a community advocate, a licensed real estate agent, an innovative thinker, doer, and an award-winning educator.”
Her website also lists a number of issues that she has advocated for within the district, including pushing back against a proposal for cameras in the classroom, developing a mental health toolbox for students and adding ethnic studies classes in high schools.
Pamela Penn-Hicks
Penn-Hicks, a retired federal employee, has been a KCK resident and homeowner since 1983. Here’s a link to her Facebook page.
According to an online biography, Penn-Hicks has served on the Mayor’s Education Task Force and the USD 500 Boundary Advisory Committee, and speaks regularly to different government bodies about constituent concerns.
According to the bio, her top priorities are investing in local public education and implementing sound financial management practices to maintain balanced budgets.
Rachel Russell
Russell, an incumbent member, currently serves as board vice president. She also serves as director of equity and community engagement for the nonprofit United Community Services of Johnson County.
According to her KCKPS bio, she has experience in leadership roles on a number of local civic groups, including Our Spot KC, STEM-Connect KC, COVID-19 Regional Response and Recovery Fund, and the KC Chamber of Commerce Steering Committee.
Russell has said she supports significant teacher salary increases and exploring sustainable ways to increase funding without placing undue burden on families. Here’s a link to her Facebook page.
Joycelyn Strickland-Egans
Strickland-Egans is retired after a 35-year career as an elementary school teacher and instructional coach, according to her campaign website.
She’s the author of a Christian children’s book series, “A Sunday Kind of Joy,” and according to her site, she “uses writing to think out loud and share the Gospel.”
In response to candidate questionnaires, Strickland-Egans has said that as a board member, she would prioritize community partnerships and student involvement while being transparent in communications with district staff.
Josh Young
Young is a fifth-generation Wyandotte County resident, an Air Force veteran and a licensed master social worker, according to his campaign website.
Although local school board races are nonpartisan, Young’s website prominently features a photo of the candidate posing with Republican U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt.
He says students “should not be forced to share their sex-separated bathrooms, locker rooms, and/or other intimate spaces with individuals on the basis of their self-proclaimed ‘gender identity.’” His platform calls for “no diversity, equity and inclusion,” “no critical race theory,” and “no pronouns.”
