A Democrat and a Republican each won KC-area seats on Kansas State Board of Education
Democrats and Republicans each won a Kansas City-area race for the Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday, according to unofficial results, but the final makeup of the board remains in flux as conservatives seek more influence over public education in the state.
Melanie Haas, a current board member, won a second term in District 2, which includes much of eastern Wyandotte County and northeast Johnson County. She defeated Republican Fred Postlewait, a retired computer systems administrator who said schools had downplayed traditional academic instruction in favor of “social engineering.”
Haas addressed supporters at a watch party Tuesday night, saying: “Thank you for doing your homework. This was an interesting race.”
“We’ve got a lot of candidates running this year that are using wedge issues and culture wars, and it’s really important that we support our public schools,“ she said. “I think the students of Kansas should know that they have people in their communities who care about them, that want to see them succeed.”
Republican Connie O’Brien beat Democrat Kris Meyer in District 4. The district includes portions of northern Johnson and southern Wyandotte counties, along with other areas of eastern Kansas.
O’Brien, a former Tonganoxie state legislator, has indicated “dollars should follow the child” – phrasing many public education advocates liken to code for vouchers. Meyer, a former elementary school principal from De Soto, had been critical of O’Brien’s stance.
In a call with the Kansas City Star Tuesday night, O’Brien thanked her supporters and said she looks forward to improving education in Kansas.
O’Brien emphasized her campaign motto: “Good, Better, Best, I’ll never let them rest until good is better and better is best.”
District 4 includes portions of northern Johnson and southern Wyandotte counties, along with other areas of eastern Kansas.
All precincts were reporting in the two races, according to unofficial results from the Kansas Secretary of State.
Haas led Postlewait 62% to 33%, according to unofficial results. O’Brien had 51% of the vote to Meyer’s 49%.
Half of the Kansas State Board of Education’s 10 seats were on the ballot on Tuesday. Going into the election, conservative Republicans controlled four seats, with Democrats and moderate Republicans holding the other six.
The balance of the board’s next term remained unclear Tuesday night. In District 6 — which includes the far northern portion of Douglas County, much of Shawnee County and four other counties in eastern Kansas — Democrat Beryl Ann New had 57% of the vote to Republican Bruce Schultz’s 43% with nearly all precincts reporting.
In District 8, which includes part of Wichita, incumbent Democrat Betty Arnold led Republican Jason Carmichael 54% to 46% with most precincts left to report, according to unofficial results,
Conservatives and other critics of public education had been eager for a chance to disrupt the status quo. In their view, schools have strayed too far from core academic subjects, and they voice concerns with test scores and student performance.
Moderate Republicans and Democrats have feared a right-wing board would support efforts by the GOP-controlled Legislature to incentivize private education.
The state Board of Education has long been a battleground pitting conservative Republicans against moderate Republicans and Democrats. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the board famously fought over the teaching of evolution, adopting a series of science standards over several years as members struggled with each other over the topic.
