What to know about 8 candidates running for Gardner Edgerton School Board
Eight candidates with differing ideologies, ranging from conservative to liberal, are vying for four open positions on the seven-member board of the Gardner Edgerton United School District 231 in southern Johnson County.
The district, which represents one of the fastest-growing communities in Kansas, has in recent years been roiled by controversies over mask mandates, purported book banning, the treatment of transgender students and use of a Kansans for Life video in classrooms.
Here are the candidates and the positions, edited for space, they bring to the race:
Julie Aldridge, Position 1 candidate
Name: Julie Aldridge
Incumbent: No. Seeks to fill two years of an unexpired term.
Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EjXWeKPmm/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Political bio: A substitute teacher in Olathe, Aldridge has had four children graduate from the district. She earned a master’s degree in special education. She seeks to strengthen special education, inclusion, and academic achievement. On hot-topic issues, she says school districts should follow state law regarding vaccinations. “Public health decisions are best informed by medical experts,” Aldridge said.
On immigration, she holds that schools should never ask about citizenship status during enrollment or show student records to agencies such as ICE without a judicial warrant. Regarding transgender students, district policy only allows students to participate in activities, or use locker rooms or bathrooms, corresponding to their sex at birth. Transgender students can use unisex facilities. Upon request, the district will designate a separate facility if unisex facilities are not available.
Aldridge thinks transgender students should have the right to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity. In 2024, the district removed the book, “Lily and Dunkin,” from its library shelves, after seven books were removed the year prior. The book includes a character in 8th grade who navigates her transgender identity. Aldridge said books selected for removal “should be guided by educational value rather than politics or ideology.”
“‘Lily and Dunkin’ should not have been removed from any of our schools,” Aldridge said.
Other information for voters: Aldridge has been endorsed by the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus. Her views have been shared in other media, including in a live, hour-long candidate forum held in October and sponsored by the Johnson County Post.
Melissa Hershey, Position 1 candidate
Name: Melissa Hershey
Incumbent: No. Seeks to fill two years of unexpired term.
Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575033215343
Political bio: Hershey is a registered nurse and paraprofessional who currently works one-on-one with a student who has medical special needs. She has two children in the district and has served as chair of the Gardner Edgerton Republican Party. While at Menorah Medical Center, she chaired the Nursing Coordinating Council as part of the National Nurses United union. She is running for the school board, she said, to improve academic achievement, strengthen the curriculum, and utilize data-driven tools to ensure all students have access to an excellent education. She wants paraprofessional positions to be fully staffed and seeks to improve communication between the board and the community.
On hot-button issues: Hershey supports vaccination requirements in schools, but believes there should be medical and religious exemptions. On transgender issues, district policy only allows students to participate in activities, or use locker rooms or bathrooms, corresponding to their sex at birth. Upon request, the district will designate a separate facility if unisex facilities are not available. Hershey supports that policy.
In 2024, the district removed the book, “Lily and Dunkin,” from its library shelves, after seven books were removed the year prior. Hershey supported the decision. “Pornographic or sexually explicit material does not belong in our schools,” she said. Endorsed by Kansans for Life, she supports the law allowing a video on fetal development, including one promoted by the political group, to be used in classrooms.
Other information for voters: Hershey’s views have been shared in other media, including in a live, hour-long candidate forum held in October and sponsored by the Johnson County Post.
Matthew Harlow, Position 1 candidate
Name: Matthew Harlow
Incumbent: No. Seeks to fill two years of an unexpired term.
Campaign website: No active campaign website or school board-associated social media presence could be found.
Political bio: Attempts by The Star to contact Harlow were unsuccessful. He did not participate in a live candidate forum in October sponsored by the Johnson County Post. He also chose not to answer a survey on school issues published by The Beacon.
Harlow, his LinkedIn page says, is an intellectual property attorney, a 2000 graduate of Kansas State University and a 2004 graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law. He is married, has five children who have attended, or who are attending, district schools. In a bio published on votejoco.com, Harlow lists “improving academic outcomes,” “meeting the needs of at-risk/disadvantaged students,” and “making the district safe and welcoming for all students,” as his top priorities.
“My approach to service on the school (board) will be to focus on improving academic outcomes for all students, not promoting a particular political ideology,” Harlow wrote.
Lana Sutton, Position 4 candidate
Name: Lana Sutton
Incumbent: Yes
Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/lanasuttonforschoolboard/about
Political bio: Sutton is the spouse of Kansas State Rep. Bill Sutton. She is a manager of administration and corporate events at Commerce Bank, according to her LinkedIn page. She has served two four-year terms on the school board, having served as both president and vice president. Sutton said she has three children who have graduated from the district.
In a recent forum, Sutton said improving academic achievement is a prime focus. She supports a common curriculum, expanding extracurricular choices, mentorship programs, and fostering parental involvement. She also advocates for greater mental health support for students.
In times of political division, she believes amicable civil discourse among board members is a necessity. “We must, as leaders, show how to disagree without being disagreeable,” she said.
On hot-button issues, Sutton in 2022 was in the majority that voted to ban trans students from using their preferred bathrooms or from participating in sports teams that align with their gender identity. Kansas law required students to be vaccinated, with exemptions for health and religious reasons. Sutton supports the law.
In 2024, the district removed the book, “Lily and Dunkin,” that included a transgender character, from its library shelves, after seven books were removed the year prior. Sutton was on the review committee that recommended its removal, which she said is not a ban. “There have been accusations of book banning,” she said. “Nothing has been banned. But books have been removed for being inappropriate.”
Endorsed by Kansans for Life, Sutton supported the law that allows a video on fetal development, including one being promoted by the political group, to be used in classrooms.
Other information for voters: Sutton’s views have been shared in other media, including in a live, hour-long candidate forum held in October and sponsored by the Johnson County Post and a 30-minute forum sponsored by the Johnson County Public Policy Council.
Sam Dominguez, Position 4 candidate
Name: Sam Dominguez
Incumbent: No
Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/people/Sam-Dominguez-for-School-Board/61576201485165/
Dominguez is a data analyst, a member of the board of the Gardner PTA, with two children in the district. She sees herself as an advocate for all children and families, including underrepresented children in a city of changing demographics. She volunteers at Newhouse KC, the domestic violence shelter, and also at an early education center.
“Gardner is becoming a very eclectic type of place,” she said. “I am running because I would like to see more equitable representation on the board and in the district overall. . . .I hope to be the first Latina to get voted to the school board.”
In a recent forum, Dominguez identified improving academic achievement as a priority, and improving reading comprehension in the early grades. She supports transgender students being allowed to use bathrooms and locker room and competing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity. On immigration and ICE, “I very strongly believe schools need to remain safe spaces for our students, their families, and our staff. “
Her website has criticized her opponent’s endorsement by Kansans for Life. “Our job is to represent people, not political agendas,” Dominguez wrote. She was against the board’s decision in 2024 to remove the book, “Lily and Dunkin,” featuring a transgender character.
“Parents can opt out without having to ban a book all together,” Dominquez said.
Other information for voters: Dominguez’s views have been shared in other media, including in a live, hour-long candidate forum held in October and sponsored by the Johnson County Post and a 30-minute forum sponsored by the Johnson County Public Policy Council.
Tom Reddin, Position 5, running unopposed
Name: Thomas Reddin
Incumbent: Yes
Website: Most current is from 2021, https://www.facebook.com/tomreddinusd231boe#
Political bio: Reddin is the current president of the school board. His election to the board in 2021 came soon after he retired as an officer with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. He also served as a U.S. Army military policeman.
Reddin did not respond to The Star’s multiple requests for an interview or to answer a list of written questions. Nor did he respond to a survey of questions to school board candidates from The Beacon.
Reddin in 2021 was one of four new candidates to the board that shifted the board to a majority conservative. The then-superintendent, Pam Strangathan, resigned one day before the new members, critical of her leadership, were to take office. Reddin and the other candidates ran, in part, in strong opposition to mask mandates during COVID-19. Two board members would subsequently resign over mask arguments. Two additional would resign, as they were convinced that the new board could not work together.
Reddin and the board hired the current superintendent, Brain Huff, in April 2022. Reddin that year was one of five board members to support a transgender student policy that requires trans students to play on sports teams and use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender assigned at birth. Reddin has been endorsed by Kansans for Life.
Greg Chapman, Position 6 candidate
Name: Greg Chapman
Incumbent: Yes
Campaign website: None available.
Political bio: A former security officer and, for eight years, a licensed massage therapist, Chapman has served two four-year terms on the school board. He is the current vice president. A graduate of the district, he has three children who have also been educated in the district.
Chapman did not respond to The Star’s multiple requests for an interview or to answer a list of written questions. In an October public forum, Chapman cited improving student achievement, bolstering the curriculum, and setting high expectations for students as priorities. He supports robust parental engagement. He spoke of student stress and anxiety and is proud in the role he played in bringing BIST, Behavioral Intervention Support Teams, to the district.
In 2021, as part of a candidate survey, Chapman listed concerns over CRT, or critical race theory, as a prime concern, saying, “I feel that it doesn’t offer the ability for healing, growth or education.” He opposed mask mandates. In 2022, he ran counter to other conservative board members, when he did not support a district policy prohibiting transgender children from using their preferred restrooms, locker rooms or participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity. Chapman voted against the measure, which is the current policy, because the board rejected a plan to expand unisex restrooms which transgender students would need under the policy.
Chapman in 2024 supported the board’s decision to remove the book, “Lily and Dunkin,” featuring a transgender character, from school libraries. He supports vaccinations, but thinks exemptions for medical or religious reasons should be made.
Chapman has been endorsed by Kansans for Life.
Other information for voters: Chapman’s views have been shared in other media, including in a live, hour-long candidate forum held in October and sponsored by the Johnson County Post.
Keith Davenport, Position 6 candidate
Name: Keith Davenport
Incumbent: No
Campaign website: https://www.facebook.com/KeithForKansas/
Political bio: Davenport, who has four children being educated in the district, is a local entrepreneur and small business owner with a master’s degree in divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary and master’s of public affairs from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He worked in Johnson County government in staff positions for 35 years. Since filing for office, the Davenports decided to move to a new address within the district, raising questions as to his eligibility to serve if elected to position 6.
Davenport said he intends to serve and if at least 60% of voters choose him he will fight any challenge to his election. Davenport is running on a platform of academic achievement, inclusivity and teaching for college, career and AI readiness, as opposed to teaching toward standardized tests.
He’s also running against what he sees as the current board’s ideologically driven agenda. “The board has tried to censor the school newspaper, has spouted scientifically inaccuracies about the LGBTQ community, have attempted the throw out agendas at the beginning of meetings in order to place their own without notifying the public,” Davenport said on his Facebook page, “has shared confidential information from inside executive meetings, banned a book against the recommendations of experts, have relied on political information on issues instead of experts.”
Davenport supports required vaccinations, and only supports religious or health exceptions if they do not pose a risk to other students.
He was against the removal of the book, “Lily and Dunkin,” featuring a transgender character, from library shelves. “Any parent should be able to choose alternative materials for their own children,” Davenport said. “They should never have the right to change materials for others.”
Regarding immigration and ICE enforcement at schools: The federal government lacks legal standing to coerce local jurisdictions to enforce federal laws,” Davenport said. “At a time when federal agencies are acting outside the law and Constitution, we must stand up for our students and for local control.”
Other information for voters: Davenport’s views have been shared in other media, including in a live, hour-long candidate forum held in October and sponsored by the Johnson County Post.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM with the headline "What to know about 8 candidates running for Gardner Edgerton School Board."
