1 incumbent, 2 challengers win seats on the Kansas City, Kansas, school board
One incumbent on the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education was re-elected in a six-way contest for three seats on Tuesday. But another sitting board member lost out, according to unofficial Wyandotte County election results.
Wanda Brownlee Paige won more votes than any other candidate — 4,898. But fellow incumbent Rachel Russell, the board’s current vice president, ended up in fourth place with 3,188 votes.
Newcomers Joycelyn Strickland-Egans and Pamela Penn-Hicks both scored seats on the school board, earning 4,100 votes and 3,576 votes, respectively, according to unofficial results.
Josh Young placed fifth with 2,420 votes and Sheyvette Dinkens rounded out the list of also-rans with 2,325 votes.
Results will not be finalized until the county canvass on Nov. 12.
Because all three open seats on the ballot were for at-large positions, school board voters across the district were allowed to vote for up to three candidates.
The KCK school board has historically had six members, but a seventh position is being added in accordance with a new state law that requires local school boards to have an odd number of members.
Brownlee Paige, Strickland-Egans and Penn-Hicks will be sworn in for four-year terms in January.
Who are the winners?
Brownlee Paige, a retired middle school social studies teacher, is one of two Kansas state representatives who serves on the KCK school board. Valdenia Winn, who was not up for re-election this year, is also a Democratic lawmaker.
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.
Strickland-Egans is a retired elementary school teacher and instructional coach. She’s also the author of the Christian children’s book series, “A Sunday Kind of Joy.”
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.
A retired federal employee, Penn-Hicks has been a KCK resident and homeowner since 1983, according to her campaign materials.
Penn-Hicks, who has served on the Mayor’s Education Task Force and the USD 500 Boundary Advisory Committee, has said her top priorities are investing in public education and implementing sound financial management practices to maintain balanced budgets.
School board responsibilities
KCKPS is one of the largest and most diverse school districts in Kansas, serving more than 21,000 students.
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.
Kindergarten vaccination rates in KCKPS are among the lowest in the state, according to data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
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.
