Johnson County school board election results: Conservatives prevail in several races
Update: As vote count continues, one Olathe school board seat flips to moderate candidate. The race, and another in Blue Valley, is too close to call. Story here.
Conservative newcomers appeared to win most of the school board races in Blue Valley and Olathe — but were defeated in Shawnee Mission — with all precincts reporting Tuesday.
The Johnson County election office posted unofficial final results by about 9 p.m. Kansas law allows mail ballots postmarked on Election Day to be counted through Friday, which could change the results of closer races.
Some races remain too close to call. In one Olathe race, for example, the winner won by 32 votes. Final results will be certified after the canvass next week.
The school board races were the most controversial in Johnson County this fall, after months of battles over school district COVID-19 rules, as well as diversity initiatives. Several conservative candidates ran in the nonpartisan races for the first time, fighting for what they call “parent choice,” opposing mask mandates and questioning how schools teach students about racism, sexual orientation and gender.
Many of them were endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC, a national political action committee that has been targeting local school board races with the goal of “abolishing critical race theory,” which is not taught in Kansas K-12 schools.
And according to Tuesday night’s results, many of them prevailed.
Blue Valley
In the contentious, nonpartisan, Blue Valley race, candidates were divided into two factions. On one side, a slate of conservative candidates who oppose mask mandates and campaigned against critical race theory: Jim McMullen, Kaety Bowers and Christine White. On the other side were three more moderate candidates: Lindsay Weiss, Andrew Van Der Laan and Gina Knapp.
In the southern region of the district, McMullen appeared to win with 50.2%, over Weiss, who had 49.6%. But the race remains too close to call, as McMullen was only ahead by 165 votes.
In the northeastern region, Bowers won with 52.7%, to Van Der Laan’s 47%.
And in the northwestern area, Knapp was the only Democrat to win, with 53.2%, defeating White, with 46.5%.
McMullen, Bowers and White were endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC. Their opponents urged voters to instead focus on important local decisions, rather than national, hot topic issues.
White, a pediatrician, previously said she had dropped out of the race, after facing backlash over her opposition to school mask mandates, as well as promotion of doctors who will grant parents medical mask exemptions.
McMullen was criticized in recent weeks for posts on social media, including one where he said, “there are no 8 year old transgender kids” and another where he called the mother of a transgender child “a child abuser.” He also opposed the promotion of “equity” in schools, arguing the goal should be “equality.”
But experts say equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and privileges, due to economic status, race, gender and other factors, and means that the appropriate resources and opportunities are allocated to reach an equal outcome.
Weiss, Van Der Laan and Knapp all agreed with the current COVID-19 mitigation policies in schools, including the mask mandate as cases skyrocketed at the start of the school year. They also have argued against making critical race theory a part of the election, emphasizing that it is not taught in Blue Valley, and that diversity and equity programs are unrelated and important initiatives.
Shawnee Mission
The two incumbents retained their seats on the Shawnee Mission school board with sizable leads on Tuesday.
At-large incumbent and current board president Heather Ousley had earned 59.3%, leading challenger Brian Neilson, with 40.2%. Unlike Ousley, Neilson opposes the district’s mask mandate, and also has criticized the diversity and equity program being used by Shawnee Mission. He was the only candidate in this district endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
In the eastern portion of the district, incumbent Mary Sinclair had received 64.2%, to challenger Zach Roberts’ 35.4%. Roberts also campaigned against COVID-19 masks and criticized the district’s diversity and equity program.
In the western region competing for an open seat, April Boyd-Noronha was leading with 55.3%, ahead of Sean Claycamp, with 44.5%.
Boyd-Noronha believes the school board has taken appropriate steps to keep staff and students safe, and agrees with the current mask mandate. Claycamp campaigned on “mask and vaccine choice.”
Olathe
Two incumbents lost their seats in the Olathe school board race, according to the unofficial results.
Challenger Robert Kuhn was in the lead with 55.4%, ahead of incumbent Kristin Schultz, with 44.1%. Kuhn campaigned on “parent choice” on masks and vaccines.
In a tight race, competing for an open seat on the school board, Jennifer Gilmore was ahead, with 50% of the vote, of Julie Steele, with 49.9%. The candidates were separated by only 32 votes.
Unlike Steele, Gilmore campaigned against the mask mandate and voiced opposition to critical race theory, plus said school leaders were not transparent enough with diversity efforts.
And incumbent Brian Geary also appeared to lose his seat. According to the final unofficial results, opponent Brian Connell had 53.8%, ahead of Geary, with 45.8%.
Connell has been a strong opponent of the mask mandate, arguing that “parental choice should be the model.” He said the school board “overstepped its bounds” by extending the mandate to all grade levels.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 8:22 PM.
