Wichita Public Schools elections (2017)
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Four of the seven seats on the Wichita Public Schools Board of Education in Kansas were up for general election on November 7, 2017. In her bid for re-election to the District 1 seat, incumbent Betty Arnold was defeated by Ben Blankley. District 5 incumbent Mike Rodee defeated challenger Peter Grant to win another term. District 2 incumbent Joy Eakins and District 6 incumbent Lynn Rogers did not file to run for re-election, which left their seats open for newcomers. Julie Hedrick, Trish Hileman, and Debra Washington ran for the District 2 seat. Walt Chappell, Shirley Jefferson, and Ron Rosales ran for the District 6 seat. Hedrick and Rosales won election to the board.[1][2]
Arnold, Blankley, Hedrick, Hileman, and Jefferson participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
With two open seats on the ballot, the 2017 election was guaranteed to add more new members to the board than the district's 2015 election added. For information on election trends in the district and the state, click here.
Elections[edit]
Voter and candidate information[edit]
The Wichita Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Six of the board members must live in six specific geographic districts, while the seventh can live anywhere in the district at large. Primary elections for district seats are held by district, but general elections are held at large for all seats.[3][4][5]
Elections are held on a staggered basis every November of odd-numbered years. Three seats were up for election in April 7, 2015, and four seats were up for election on November 7, 2017. A primary election would have been held on August 1, 2017, if more than three candidates had filed to run per seat.[1][3][4]
Prior to 2017, board of education elections were held in the spring of odd-numbered years. House Bill 2104 changed all school board election dates in Kansas to November of odd-numbered years. It was signed into law on June 8, 2015.[6]
To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file with the Sedgwick County Election Office by noon on June 1, 2017.[3][4]
To vote in the election, citizens of the school district had to register by October 17, 2017.[7] Photo identification was required to vote in Kansas.[8]
Candidates and results[edit]
District 1[edit]
Results[edit]
| Wichita Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Ben Blankley |
49.86% | 7,766 |
| Betty Arnold Incumbent | 49.32% | 7,682 |
| Write-in votes | 0.82% | 128 |
| Total Votes | 15,576 | |
| Source: Sedgwick County Election Office, "November 7, 2017 General Election Official Results," accessed November 17, 2017 | ||
Candidates[edit]
 Betty Arnold
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Ben Blankley 
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District 2[edit]
Results[edit]
| Wichita Public Schools, District 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Julie Hedrick |
43.24% | 6,665 |
| Trish Hileman | 34.86% | 5,373 |
| Debra Washington | 21.40% | 3,299 |
| Write-in votes | 0.49% | 76 |
| Total Votes | 15,413 | |
| Source: Sedgwick County Election Office, "November 7, 2017 General Election Official Results," accessed November 17, 2017 | ||
Candidates[edit]
| Julie Hedrick
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Trish Hileman
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Debra Washington | |||
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District 5[edit]
Results[edit]
| Wichita Public Schools, District 5 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Mike Rodee Incumbent |
63.28% | 9,167 |
| Peter Grant | 35.96% | 5,210 |
| Write-in votes | 0.76% | 110 |
| Total Votes | 14,487 | |
| Source: Sedgwick County Election Office, "November 7, 2017 General Election Official Results," accessed November 17, 2017 | ||
Candidates[edit]
| Mike Rodee
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Peter Grant | ||
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District 6[edit]
Results[edit]
| Wichita Public Schools, District 6 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ron Rosales |
48.23% | 7,339 |
| Walt Chappell | 28.10% | 4,276 |
| Shirley Jefferson | 23.32% | 3,549 |
| Write-in votes | 0.35% | 54 |
| Total Votes | 15,218 | |
| Source: Sedgwick County Election Office, "November 7, 2017 General Election Official Results," accessed November 17, 2017 | ||
Candidates[edit]
| Walt Chappell | Shirley Jefferson
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Ron Rosales
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Additional elections on the ballot[edit]
- See also: Kansas elections, 2017
The Wichita Board of Education election shared the ballot with elections for three seats on the Wichita City Council.[9]
Key deadlines[edit]
The following dates were key deadlines for Kansas school board elections in 2017:[4][7][10]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| June 1, 2017 | Candidate filing deadline |
| July 11, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| August 1, 2017 | Primary election (if needed) |
| August 31, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline for primary election |
| October 17, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| November 7, 2017 | General election |
| December 7, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline for general election |
| January 8, 2018 | Board members take office |
Endorsements[edit]
Equality Kansas endorsed District 1 challenger Ben Blankley and District 5 challenger Peter Grant.[11]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at elections@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance[edit]
Candidates received a total of $27,988.88 and spent a total of $21,094.86 in the election, according to the Sedgwick County Election Office.[12]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | |||
| Betty Arnold | $1,630.00 | $635.48 | $994.52 |
| Ben Blankley | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 2 | |||
| Julie Hedrick | $8,205.00 | $7,008.11 | $1,196.89 |
| Trish Hileman | $5,748.88 | $5,350.69 | $398.19 |
| Debra Washington | $50.00 | $50.00 | $0.00 |
| District 5 | |||
| Mike Rodee | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Peter Grant | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| District 6 | |||
| Walt Chappell | $7,200.00 | $4,101.25 | $3,098.75 |
| Shirley Jefferson | $3,815.00 | $2,698.24 | $1,116.76 |
| Ron Rosales | $1,340.00 | $1,251.09 | $88.91 |
Reporting requirements[edit]
School board candidates in Kansas were required to file campaign finance reports 30 days after each primary, general, or special election. For 2017, campaign finance reports were due on August 31, 2017, if there was a primary election, and on December 7, 2017.[10]
School board candidates were required to file finance reports with their county election office if they raised or spent more than $500 for their campaigns. If they did not meet that threshold, they had to file paperwork indicating that by July 23, 2017.[10]
Past elections[edit]
- See also: Past elections in Wichita Public Schools
To see results from past elections in Wichita Public Schools, click here.
What was at stake?[edit]
Report a story for this election[edit]
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Candidate survey[edit]
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses[edit]
Five candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from District 1 incumbent Betty Arnold, District 1 challenger Ben Blankley, District 2 challengers Julie Hedrick and Trish Hileman, and District 6 challenger Shirley Jefferson.
Hope to achieve[edit]
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Arnold stated:
| “ | To support a quality education for ALL students is available.[13] | ” |
| —Betty Arnold (July 17, 2017)[14] | ||
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Blankley stated:
| “ | I hope to achieve greater accountability and transparency with decisions made at the school board table. I look forward to trying to explain my votes, and have a healthier relationship with the local news media and the local student advocacy groups.[13] | ” |
| —Ben Blankley (July 19, 2017)[15] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Hedrick stated:
| “ | With my knowledge and experience leading a large, urban school district, I believe I can be a positive voice in getting things done for kids and in advocating for our students, Supt. and staff.[13] | ” |
| —Julie Hedrick (August 29, 2017)[16] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Hileman stated:
| “ | I hope to increase engagement in our schools with our parents and community. I hope to increase the transparency of our District by having difficult discussions out in the open of public meetings, allowing the public to hear the thought processes and decision making process going on in our District. I hope to partner with teachers and communicate a deep level of respect and appreciation for their profession, encouraging them to come to the profession, thrive and increase learning opportunities for all students.[13] | ” |
| —Trish Hileman (October 14, 2017)[17] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Jefferson stated:
| “ | Enhance family support and student learning by creating new pathways to family engagement. Work diligently to ensure that education and community stakeholders collaborate to prepare students for future success. Make strategic decisions to ensure that every dollar is utilized for student achievement and support systems.[13] | ” |
| —Shirley Jefferson (October 20, 2017)[18] | ||
Ranking the issues[edit]
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | |||||
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| Issue | Arnold's ranking (District 1) |
Blankley's ranking (District 1) |
Hedrick's ranking (District 2) |
Hileman's ranking (District 2) |
Jefferson's ranking (District 6) |
| Expanding arts education | |||||
| Improving relations with teachers | |||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |||||
| Closing the achievement gap | |||||
| Improving education for special needs students | |||||
| Expanding school choice options | |||||
Positions on the issues[edit]
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
- Betty Arnold's survey responses
- Ben Blankley's survey responses
- Julie Hedrick's survey responses
- Trish Hileman's survey responses
- Shirley Jefferson's survey responses
Election trends[edit]
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
The 2017 Wichita Board of Education race was guaranteed to elect more newcomers to the board than the district's 2015 race elected. In 2015, all of the seats went to incumbents, but in 2017, two newcomers were guaranteed to be elected due to open seats. A third newcomer also won a seat on the board by defeating an incumbent.
The 2017 election also attracted more candidates than the district's 2015 election attracted. In 2017, 10 candidates ran for four seats for an average of 2.5 candidates per seat, while in 2015, five candidates ran for three seats for an average of 1.67 candidates per seat.
| School board election trends | ||||||
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| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Wichita Public Schools | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.50 | 0.00% | 50.00% | 50.00% | 75.00% | |
| 2015 | 1.67 | 33.33% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| Kansas | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.86 | 28.57% | 78.57% | 95.45% | 25.00% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
Issues in the district[edit]
Board appoints district's first African American and first woman superintendent[edit]
- See also: Wichita Superintendent Alicia Thompson
The Wichita Board of Education voted 6-0 on February 21, 2017, to appoint Alicia Thompson as the district's superintendent. Thompson became the first African American and the first woman to hold the position when she started the job on July 1, 2017. She attended school in the district and graduated from Heights High School. Thompson replaced John Allison, who left the district to serve as superintendent of Olathe Public Schools Unified School District 233.[19]
Issues in the state[edit]
State education funding bill[edit]
The Kansas Supreme Court ruled on October 2, 2017, that the Kansas State Legislature had not met its constitutional obligation to adequately and equitably fund public schools, echoing a March 2017 ruling from the same court that had required the state legislature to send more money to public schools. State lawmakers responded to that March 2017 ruling by a passing a bill that increased funding for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years by $293 million. The October 2017 ruling said that increase was not enough and directed lawmakers to craft a new education funding bill by June 30, 2018.[20][21][22]
The October 2017 ruling found that the $293 million increase failed to meet the state constitution's requirement for public education. Article 6 states, “The legislature shall make suitable provision for finance of the educational interests of the state.” In earlier court decisions Article 6 was interpreted to require the state to provide funding to public schools that is adequate and equitable. The adequacy requirement calls for the state's education funding system to be "reasonably calculated to have all Kansas public education students meet or exceed the standards." Under the equity requirement, “School districts must have reasonably equal access to substantially similar educational opportunity through similar tax effort.”[23]
The October 2017 ruling was the latest in a 20-year state battle over school finance, and it was the fifth time in three years that the Kansas Supreme Court determined the state legislature had underfunded public education. The case, Gannon v. Kansas, was filed by the Wichita, Hutchinson, Dodge City, and Kansas City school districts in November 2010.[20][24]
Republican leadership in the state legislature issued a statement that condemned the court's ruling and called it an unrealistic demand. “This ruling shows clear disrespect for the legislative process and puts the rest of state government and programs in jeopardy,” the statement said.[20]
Sen. Julia Lynn (R-9) said she believed there would “never, ever be enough money” to meet the court's satisfaction. “And unless somebody else has a better idea, we’re going to be doing this for the rest of our legislative lives, the Legislature will be fighting this,” said Lynn.[20]
When the legislature was directed to pass a new education funding plan in March 2017, the court did not say how much education funding had to increase.[25] Before the final bill was passed, Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley (D-19) said he believed drafts from both the Senate and House were inadequate.[26] He proposed an increase of $420 million for two years, but it was rejected in a 23-16 vote.[27]
When the bill was passed on June 6, 2017, the legislative session had been open for 108 days of what was scheduled to be a 100-day session. It was one of the longest sessions in the state's history. State lawmakers passed a bill to increase income taxes and end a tax exemption for farms and businesses on June 7, 2017, as part of a plan to fund the education increase and fill an $889 million budget shortfall. Gov. Sam Brownback (R) vetoed the tax bill, but both chambers of the legislature voted to override the veto with a two-thirds majority.[22]
The justices allowed the education funding bill to take effect while they determined if it met constitutional requirements, which allowed school districts to create their budgets for the 2017-2018 school year.[28] With a deadline of April 30, 2018, to craft a new education funding bill to meet the October 2017 ruling's requirements, the legislature did not have to go into special session in 2017. The 2018 session of the legislature began in January 2018.[20]
On April 7, 2018, legislators passed a school funding bill (SB 423) intended to increase K-12 funding by more than $500 million over five years. Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) signed the legislation on April 17, 2018. The Kansas State Department of Education identified that the legislation contained an $80 million error in the first year, decreasing the amount of funding from $150 million to $72 million. On April 30, 2018, lawmakers approved a measure correcting the error. Gov. Colyer signed the legislation on May 4, 2018.[29]
On June 25, 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state's legislative adjustments to education funding, SB 423 and SB 61, were equitable but inadequate. The court concluded that Kansas had not met the adequacy requirement in Article 6 of the state constitution. The court advised the state to undertake further adjustments to inflation and allowed the legislation (SB 19, SB 423, and SB 61) to temporarily remain in effect, thus providing funding for Kansas schools for the 2018-2019 school year. The court extended the deadline for the state to fulfill its constitutional duties to June 30, 2019.[30]
In April 2019, the Kansas legislature passed a law that increased the state's education budget by $900 million each year. On June 14, 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that with the passage of the April 2019 law, the state was adequately funding education. When issuing the ruling, the court chose to keep the lawsuit open so it could monitor education funding in future years' budgets.[31][32]
About the district[edit]
- See also: Wichita Public Schools, Kansas
The Wichita school district is based in Wichita, the county seat of Sedgwick County, in south-central Kansas. The county was home to an estimated 511,995 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[33] The district was the largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 50,947 students.[34]
Demographics[edit]
Sedgwick County underperformed compared to Kansas as a whole in terms of higher education achievement between 2011 and 2015. The United States Census Bureau found that 29.4 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 31 percent of state residents. During that same time period, the median household income in Sedgwick County was $50,657, compared to $52,205 for the entire state. The poverty rate was 15.2 percent in the county, while it was 13 percent statewide.[33]
| Racial Demographics, 2015[33] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Sedgwick County (%) | Kansas (%) |
| White | 80.8 | 86.7 |
| Black or African American | 9.5 | 6.3 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.4 | 1.2 |
| Asian | 4.5 | 2.9 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 3.6 | 2.9 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 14.1 | 11.6 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Wichita Public Schools Kansas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also[edit]
| Wichita Public Schools | Kansas | School Boards |
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External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sedgwick County Election Office, "Current Candidate Listings: School District 259," accessed June 1, 2017
- ↑ Sedgwick County Election Office, "November 7, 2017 General Election Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wichita Public Schools, "2017 Board of Education Election Information," accessed May 30, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Kansas State Department of Education, "School Board Member Elections," accessed May 30, 2017
- ↑ Wichita Public Schools, "BOE Contact Information/Profiles," accessed May 30, 2017
- ↑ Open States, "HB 2104 - Kansas 2015-2016 Regular Session," accessed June 4, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kansas Secretary of State, "Registration & Voting," accessed July 5, 2017
- ↑ Kansas Secretary of State, "got voter ID?" accessed July 5, 2017
- ↑ Sedgwick County Election Office, "Current Candidate Listings: Wichita City Council Member," accessed June 2, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 2014 Kansas Statutes, "KS Stat § 25-904 (2014)," accessed June 8, 2017
- ↑ Equality Kansas, "2017 Municipal and School Board Primary Election Endorsements," July 16, 2017
- ↑ Sedgwick County Election Office, "Public Access Search," accessed December 18, 2017
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Betty Arnold responses," July 17, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Ben Blankley responses," July 19, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Julie Hedrick responses," August 29, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Trish Hileman responses," October 14, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Shirley Jefferson responses," October 20, 2017
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Wichita school board appoints Alicia Thompson as next superintendent," February 21, 2017
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 The Wichita Eagle, "School funding still inadequate and unfair, Supreme Court rules," October 2, 2017
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Kansas Lawmakers Pass School Aid Increase, Income Tax Hike," June 6, 2017
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 U.S. News & World Report, "Kansas Lawmakers Override Governor Veto," June 7, 2017
- ↑ Justia US Law, "Gannon v. State," accessed October 16, 2017
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Interactive timeline: Kansas school-funding dispute," February 11, 2016
- ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Some Lawmakers Say Kansas Education Funding May Be Too Small," May 31, 2017
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Kansas Senate agrees to school finance formula, but warnings from Democrats continue," May 31, 2017
- ↑ AP News,"Kansas lawmakers sweeten education plan, advance tax hike," May 13, 2017
- ↑ The Sentinel, "Kansas Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments on School Finance," June 21, 2017
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "'A very strong bill': Gov. Colyer signs off on school finance plan," April 17, 2018
- ↑ Kansas Judicial Branch, "Gannon v. Kansas," accessed July 14, 2021
- ↑ AP News, "Kansas high court says education funding is adequate," June 14, 2019
- ↑ Education Dive, "States' failure to track education funds complicates spending model overhauls," July 17, 2019
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Sedgwick County, Kansas," accessed May 26, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Wichita Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Sedgwick County, Kansas | |
| Election date: | November 7, 2017 |
| Candidates: | District 1: • Incumbent, Betty Arnold • Ben Blankley District 2: • Julie Hedrick • Trish Hileman • Debra Washington District 5: • Incumbent, Mike Rodee • Peter Grant District 6: • Walt Chappell • Shirley Jefferson • Ron Rosales |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
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