Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas elections (2015)

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This page is about the 2015 school board election for Lawrence Public Schools in Kansas. The page for the Lawrence Public Schools election in Massachusetts can be found here.

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2017 →
2015 Lawrence Public Schools Elections
Primary Election date:
March 3, 2015
General Election date:
April 7, 2015
Table of Contents
About the district Method of election Elections What was at stake? Key deadlines Additional elections External links
See also
Kansas Lawrence Public Schools Douglas County, Kansas ballot measures Local ballot measures, Kansas

Five seats on the Lawrence Public Schools Board of Education were up for general election on April 7, 2015. Because more than three candidates filed for one position, a primary election was held on March 3, 2015.

Incumbents Bob Byers, Rick Ingram, Shannon Kimball and Randy Masten's seats were up for regular election. Masten was the only incumbent not to file to run for re-election. Byers was appointed to the board on June 30, 2014, following the resignation of Keith Diaz Moore, who left the board in May 2014 to become dean of the University of Utah's school of architecture. Byers had previously served on the school board. Byers, Ingram and Kimball faced challengers Lindsey Frye, Ronald Gordon-Ross, Jessica Beeson and Jill Fincher for the four-year terms up for election. Beeson, Fincher, Ingram and Kimball were triumphant in that race.

An additional seat appeared on the ballot due to a vacancy on the board that was filled by appointment in 2014. Adina Morse resigned from the board in August 2014 to serve as the executive director of the Lawrence Schools Foundation. Marcel Harmon was appointed on September 8, 2014, to fill that vacancy.

Because the seat would not have been up for regular election in 2015, like Byer's seat, the election for this seat was for the two years left on its unexpired term. Harmon ran to remain in the seat against challengers Mary Loveland, Kelly Spurgeon and Norine Spears.

A primary was required because more than three candidate filed for the one seat. Harmon and Loveland advanced from the primary election to the general election. This is the first time a primary election for the board was held since the institution of 2011 Session Law Chapter 112, which reduced the number of candidates to advance from school board primaries from three to two. Harmon defeated Loveland in the general election.

The 2015 election marked the last spring election for school boards statewide. House Bill 2104 was signed into law by Governor of Kansas Sam Brownback (R) on June 8, 2015. Another bill, Senate Bill 171, originally proposed moving the school board elections to November of even-numbered years, in line with statewide general elections, and would have made all school boards into partisan offices.

HB 2104 did not change the nonpartisan nature of the boards, but it did move their general elections to November of odd-numbered years. A number of school boards across the state opposed the more drastic changes proposed by SB 171, particularly the possibility of partisan elections. The Lawrence Board of Education approved a resolution opposing those changes. The approved law did not change the nonpartisan nature of the boards and moved their general elections to November of odd-numbered years.

Election changes were not the only point of contention between the state government and Kansas school boards in 2015; all districts also had to adapt to changes in state funding for education due to budget shortfalls.

Income tax reductions in 2012 and 2013 championed by Brownback were blamed by some as the cause of the state's financial woes and, therefore, the reason cuts to education spending were considered. Supporters of the changes emphasized the state's decade-old education funding formula as being the real reason a funding overhaul was necessary. Regardless of the cause, legislation was passed issuing block grants to public school districts while legislators debated how to replace the repealed 1995 funding formula.

Board members and candidates were also active in the ongoing discussion about the district's shift to using the national standards for sex education classes.

The April election was not the first time district residents voted in 2015: a mail ballot election in January overwhelmingly approved a 2 percent increase in the local option budget. The ballot measure came just before changes to state funding for education were announced.

Four of the candidates in this election participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.

See also: What was at stake in the 2015 Lawrence Public Schools elections?

About the district

See also: Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas

Lawrence Public Schools is located in Douglas County, Kan.

Lawrence Public Schools is located in Lawrence, the seat of government for Douglas County, in northeastern Kansas. The county was home to an estimated 114,322 residents in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau. Lawrence Public Schools was the seventh-largest school district by enrollment in Kansas and served 11,828 students in the 2012-2013 school year.

Demographics

Douglas County outperformed the rest of Kansas in terms of higher education achievement in 2013. The United States Census Bureau found that 49.6 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 30.3 percent for Kansas as a whole. The median household income in the county was $49,508 compared to $51,332 for the state. The poverty rate in Douglas County was 19.0 percent compared to 13.7 percent in the entire state.

Racial Demographics, 2013
Race	Douglas County (%)	Kansas (%)
White	84.8	87.1
Black or African American	4.5	6.2
American Indian and Alaska Native	2.8	1.2
Asian	4.2	2.7
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.1
Two or More Races	3.6	2.7
Hispanic or Latino	5.5	11.2

Presidential Voting Pattern, Douglas County
Year	Republican Vote	Democratic Vote
2012	17,401	29,267
2008	17,929	34,398
2004	20,544	28,634
2000	17,062	18,249

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.

Voter and candidate information

The Lawrence Board of Education is composed of seven members who are elected at-large to four-year terms. Either three or four seats being up for regular election at each time. Four seats were scheduled for regular election in 2015. Due to a vacancy on the board filed by appointment, one more seat was up for election as required by state law.

House Bill 2104 made this the last election for the district to be held in the spring of an odd-numbered year. Signed into law by Governor of Kansas Sam Brownback (R) on June 8, 2015, the law changed school board election dates to November of odd-numbered years.

Candidates had to file a petition containing 50 signatures or pay a filing fee of $5 by January 27, 2015. Because more than three candidates filed for the unexpired two-year term seat, a primary election was held on March 3, 2015. The general election for all of the seats up for election was April 7, 2015.

Voters had to register by February 10, 2015, to vote in the primary election. The voter registration deadline for the general election was March 17, 2015.

4-year terms

Bob Byers		Rick Ingram		Shannon Kimball
	Incumbent Member from 2009-2013, 2014-2015 Master's degree, Kansas University Bachelor's degree, Pittsburg State University		Incumbent Member from 2011-2015 Professor of clinical psychology, Kansas University Ph.D., Kansas University Bachelor's degree, San Diego State University		Incumbent Member from 2011-2015 Attorney J.D., University of Michigan Law School Bachelor's degree, Kansas University

Jessica Beeson		Lindsey Frye
	Employed by the University of Kansas M.A., University of Arizona B.A., University of Kansas		Member, Educate Lawrence
Ronald Gordon-Ross		Jill Fincher
	Member, 2010 Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force Graduate, University of Kansas		Manager, Charlotte Clean Adventures

2-year unexpired term

General election candidates

Marcel Harmon		Mary Loveland
	Incumbent Member from 2014-2015 Engineer, M.E. Group M.A. and Ph.D., University of New Mexico B.S., Kansas State University		Former officeholder, 1987-2003, 2007-2011

Candidates defeated in primary

Kelly Spurgeon		Norine Spears
	Program consultant, Kansas State Department of Education		Self-employed graphic artist

Election results

Four-year terms (four seats)

Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Shannon Kimball Incumbent	18.9%	5,418
	Nonpartisan	Jessica Beeson	17.6%	5,050
	Nonpartisan	Jill Fincher	17.3%	4,951
	Nonpartisan	Rick Ingram Incumbent	16.6%	4,758
	Nonpartisan	Bob Byers Incumbent	14%	4,015
	Nonpartisan	Lindsey Frye	9.3%	2,669
	Nonpartisan	Ronald Gordon-Ross	6.3%	1,819
Total Votes				28,680
Source: Douglas County, "Online Election Results (official)," accessed April 16, 2015

General

Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large Special Election, 2-year unexpired term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Marcel Harmon Incumbent	54.6%	5,107
	Nonpartisan	Mary Loveland	45.4%	4,245
Total Votes				9,352
Source: Douglas County, "Online Election Results (official)," accessed April 16, 2015

Primary

Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large Special Primary Election, 2-year term, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Mary Loveland	34.4%	2,727
	Nonpartisan	Marcel Harmon Incumbent	28%	2,215
	Nonpartisan	Kelly Spurgeon	19.8%	1,566
	Nonpartisan	Norine Spears	17.9%	1,416
Total Votes				7,924
Source: ’’Douglas County, Kansas’’, “Online Election Results (official),” March 9, 2015

Endorsements

Harmon was endorsed by fellow board members Rick Ingram, Randy Masten and Vanessa Sanburn. He was also endorsed by fellow candidate Kelly Spurgeon, who was defeated in the primary election. Douglas County Commissioner Nancy Thellman, state Rep. Dennis "Boog" Highberger (D-46) and state Sen. Marci Francisco (D-2) also endorsed Harmon.

Campaign finance

See also: List of school board campaign finance deadlines in 2015

No contributions or expenditures were reported in this election, according to the Douglas County Clerk.

Candidates who intended to receive or expend less than $500.00 in their campaign were allowed to file a K.S.A. 25-904(a) form called an "Affidavit of Exemption" attesting to those intentions. Candidates' contributions to their own campaigns are included in those limits. If a candidate exceeded these limits after filing as exempt, he or she would be required to comply with the reporting requirements from that point forward.

Past elections

Information about earlier elections can be found by clicking [show] at the right.

2013 Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2013 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Vanessa Sanburn Incumbent 26.6% 5,455      Nonpartisan Adina Morse 25.6% 5,237      Nonpartisan Kristie Adair 24% 4,915      Nonpartisan Bob Byers Incumbent 22.7% 4,639      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 1.1% 224 Total Votes 20,470 Source: Douglas County Elections, "2013 General Election Results," April 11, 2013 2011 Lawrence Public Schools, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2011 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Nonpartisan Rick Ingram 14.9% 3,688      Nonpartisan Shannon Kimball 14.4% 3,548      Nonpartisan Randy Masten 14.3% 3,537      Nonpartisan Keith Diaz Moore 14.2% 3,496      Nonpartisan Marlene Merrill Incumbent 12.7% 3,126      Nonpartisan Ola Faucher 8.8% 2,178      Nonpartisan Bill Roth 6.2% 1,532      Nonpartisan James W. Clark 6% 1,476      Nonpartisan Diane Lindeman 4.8% 1,176      Nonpartisan Tyler Palmer 3.1% 769      Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.6% 154 Total Votes 24,680 Source: Douglas County Elections, "2011 General Election Results," April 11, 2011

What was at stake?

2015

Four regular four-year terms and one two-year unexpired term were up for election in 2015. Enough challengers sought election that over half of the seven-member board could have been replaced with newcomers in this election.

A range of issues were up for debate in the district leading into the 2015 election. A bill in the state legislature had proposed changing school board elections to partisan races in November of even-numbered years. The bill received strong criticism from sitting board members, including a resolution against it. Ultimately, the election system was changed from a spring cycle to a fall system, staying in odd-numbered years and remaining nonpartisan.

The national sex education curriculum recently adopted by the district were also commented on by board members and candidates. Additionally, district residents overwhelmingly approved a 2 percent increase in the local option budget in a mail ballot election in January 2015. This came just before funding changes from the state were implemented.

Issues in the election

Election date changes

Early legislative action in 2015 could have made all Kansas school board elections into partisan races held in November of even-numbered years. Those changes were not approved, but a smaller change was signed into law on June 8, 2015; House Bill 2104 changed all school board election dates to November of odd-numbered years.

HB 2104
HB 2104 was introduced to the Kansas House of Representatives on January 23, 2015, and sponsored by the House Elections Committee. The house approved the measure 69 to 54 on February 26, 2015. Following the withdrawal of a similar senate bill, HB 2104 was approved by the senate by a vote of 28 to 12.

The portion of the Conference Committee Report of the bill relating to the election date changes states:

“	The bill would move all elections for office holders of local governments currently held in the spring of odd-numbered years to the fall of odd-numbered years, with one exception (described below). In general, the elections would remain nonpartisan, although a city could choose to make its elections partisan. Sections to be added to the law, Sections 7, 8, and 13 through 16, would be cited as the Help Kansas Vote Act. Beginning in 2017, the election dates for the specified units of local government would mirror the election dates for the elections held in even-numbered years. That is, the primary election would be held on the first Tuesday in August, and the general election would be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. The elections, to be administered by the county election officers, would be consolidated into one ballot, which would be prescribed by the Secretary of State through rules and regulations. Those entities currently with district method elective offices (i.e., cities and school districts) would retain that authority.	”
—HB 2104 Conference Committee Report (2015)

SB 171

Sen. Mitch Holmes (R-33) introduced SB 171 on February 9, 2015.

On February 9, 2015, Sen. Mitch Holmes (R-33) introduced Senate Bill 171 to the Ethics, Elections and Local Government Committee. The bill, as it was initially introduced, would have moved school board and other local elections to November in even-numbered years, in addition to changing school boards from their nonpartisan status by requiring candidates to declare party affiliations.

Supporters claimed that moving the school board elections to a date when there are more elections would increase voter turnout for such races as well as reduce the costs of printing the number of ballot variations. Others questioned whether or not a move would actually improve turnout, as it would place school board elections on an already lengthy ballot.

On the same day the bill was introduced, the Lawrence Board of Education passed a resolution opposing the measure. Six of the board's seven members voted in favor of the resolution; Randy Masten was not present for the meeting and, therefore, did not vote on the matter. Shannon Kimball, board president, stated, "Our current election cycle falls very nicely in line with the school's fiscal and academic year." Member Vanessa Sanburn questioned the arguments in favor of the bill, saying, "I can't imagine that making the ballot longer is going to increase the turnout for our race." In a candidate questionnaire for the Lawrence Journal-World, all of the candidates for the two-year term position stated their opposition to the changes sought in SB 171.

The bill could have had other consequences beyond voter participation in its original format. Board members Rick Ingram and Bob Byers, who are both state employees of Kansas University and the Kansas Department for Children and Families, respectively, expressed concern that they would not be able to run for office if the bill makes the board a partisan office.

On February 11, 2015, board President Shannon Kimball testified to the Senate committee in opposition to the bill. The entirety of her testimony can be read here. Her main points were the following:

“	The current April election cycle and July 1 starting date for school board terms coincides with the beginning of our fiscal year and with the school year calendar. ... Having school board elections in April of odd-numbered years allows voters to focus on those policy issues unique to the community at the local level. ... Turning School Board Elections into Partisan Elections Will Impair the Efficient and Effective Operations of Local Boards of Education...	”
—Shannon Kimball (2015)

The bill was amended before being approved 21 to 18 by the Senate on February 26, 2015. The approved version would move school board and other local elections to the November general election date in odd-numbered years. It removed the language that would have made those elections partisan. During the debate of the revised version, Holmes expressed frustration with the resistance to moving local elections. He argued that such a move would increase voter turnout and bring greater transparency to local government, saying that such offices are "elected on a day that nobody notices."

Holmes also argued that the disproportionately white city council of Ferguson, Mo., was caused by holding off-year elections and postulated that "minorities vote better in on-cycle elections than off-cycle elections." Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau (D-29), the first African American woman elected to the State Senate and one of the two African American members of the body, dismissed this argument, saying, “I don’t live in Ferguson. I don’t know anybody who lived there. ... We’re here in Kansas."

On March 4, 2015, the revised Senate bill was introduced in the House of Representatives. The House Elections Committee recommended the revised bill be approved with some amendments regarding date changes in the law on March 19, 2015. The measure was withdrawn from the Senate calendar shortly thereafter.

Sex education

In 2013, the school board voted to adopt the more comprehensive national standards for sexuality education over those adopted by the state board of education in 2006. The new standards were implemented districtwide for the 2014-2015 school year. The national standards include more information about forms of birth control and sexual orientation.

Parents and guardians can choose to opt out of the curriculum for their children. In the partial implementation in the 2013-2014 school year, only a few students' parents chose that option and only for a portion of the curriculum. According to Sarah Oatsvall, the district's assistant director of teaching and learning, students would receive a silent signal from the teacher during those parts of the curriculum so that they could leave the room without other students knowing.

Board member Sanburn had advocated for the switch to the national standards. At the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, she stated, "These standards support curriculum that presents sexual development as a normal, natural, healthy part of human development." Some criticism of the standard change has been expressed. In response to a letter to the editor in the Lawrence Journal-World on February 7, 2015, board members Rick Ingram and Marcel Harmon voiced their support for the district's approach to sex education.

Ingram expressed his support of Sanburn's effort and the standard changes on his Facebook campaign page, saying:

“	Ignorance about sex doesn’t prevent STDs or unwanted pregnancies. I am proud of the fact that Lawrence schools provide sex education that is comprehensive and medically accurate. Special recognition goes to board member Vanessa Sanburn for keeping this issue at the forefront of our goal setting and planning.	”
—Rick Ingram's Facebook campaign page (2015)

Harmon seconded Ingram's statement on his own Facebook campaign page and said further:

“	Knowledge is power. I too am proud that Lawrence schools provide comprehensive and medically accurate sex education. Thanks to Vanessa Sanburn for championing this during the board's previous goal planning/setting processes. I will also say that the district does have opt out procedures in place for this.	”
—Marcel Harmon's Facebook campaign page (2015)

Candidate Lindsey Frye has also commented on sex education in the district on her Facebook campaign page. She aimed her comments at two failed legislative bills from the 2014, which would have required parental or guardian written consent for participation in sex education classes, required districts to provide a copy of the instructional materials and syllabus to those who request them, and prohibited the display or distribution of instructional materials about human sexuality to students who did not have the written consent. Frye stated:

“	Let's talk about sex. Let's talk about Senate Bill (SB) 376. Its companion, House Bill (HB) 2620. Let's talk about an educated informed young population who deserves the right to learn the the facts that can protect them as young, sexually or not sexually active adults. I am opposed to both these bills and hope you stand behind me in fighting for the rights to have an educated population of young people. I feel the Lawrence district has made the right moves in adopting the sexual education standards we have. I met this evening with the fabulous group Douglas County NOWand discussed these important bills along with hearing concerns of how are we going to change the culture that exists within our school district when it comes to reporting and kids having access to report issues that may arise with in the classroom and hallways.	”
—Lindsey Frye's Facebook campaign page (2015)

Issues in the district

State education funding cuts

See also: Kansas state budget and finances

A looming state budget deficit of $600 million led the state legislature to approve a block-grant funding system to replace the state's public school funding formula. Governor of Kansas Sam Brownback (R) had proposed that $44.5 million be cut from state funding for education to make up for budgetary shortcomings on February 5, 2015.

Cuts proposed by governor; income taxes blamed and defended

Gov. Sam Brownback (R)

Of the total cuts Brownback suggested, $28 million would have come from elementary and secondary education funding, while another $16 million would have been taken from higher education funding.

Some blamed the income tax reductions signed into law by the governor for the significant shortfall looming for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015. Income tax cuts were championed by Brownback and passed by the Legislature in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, the state had to reassess its spending and consider new forms of revenue. Possible revenue sources that were considered included raising taxes on cigarettes and alcohol or changing tax assessments for farmland, gasoline, and sales and passive income. In 2013, the state collected $2.96 billion in individual income taxes, which made up 38.80 percent of the state's tax collections.

Brownback defended the income tax cuts and pushed for consumption taxes to replace lost funds in April 2015. “I still want to get away from the income tax. Over time, I would like to see us move toward the consumption basket of taxes," he stated at that time. He also voiced support for a higher sales tax. The governor remained vague about exactly which consumption taxes might be used but noted his support for tax increases on cigarettes and alcohol.

At the same time, Brownback responded to criticisms over the fact that he shared budget information prior to the legislative session with David Kensinger, his former chief of staff and current lobbyist for Reynolds American tobacco company. Brownback defended the move, saying, “What I try to do is get as much input from people as possible. I’ve tried to operate most of my public career in trying to solicit lots of input. I wish he wasn’t lobbying for that group. He’s free to do what he’s doing.”

Legislative response
In response to Brownback's proposal, the Kansas State Legislature outlined a plan in March 2015 to fund public schools with block grants for two years while they rewrite the school funding formula. According to The Kansas City Star, the block grants would provide an increase of more than $4.2 billion for the 2016-2017 school year, which would represent a 9 percent increase from the 2013-2014 allocations. Additionally, the block grants would return the 2014-2015 district allocations to the amounts they were set at before Brownback announced his planned budget cuts. Whether or not these funds actually indicate an increase in classroom spending and how the Legislature would pay for the increase in funding remained unclear as of the bill's introduction.

Democratic legislators criticized the bill, arguing that the majority of the additional funding would go toward retirement and meeting the requirements of a 2014 Kansas Supreme Court ruling mandating more funding for schools. Sen. Hensley argued, "Their proposal does not do what they claim it’s going to do. It does not allocate $300 million in new money, nor does it put more money into the classroom.”

Sen. Susan Wagle (R-30)

In a 64 to 57 vote on March 13, 2015, the House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 7, a plan to overhaul the state's 13-year-old school finance system. State law required at least 63 votes in favor of the measure for it to pass the House. The bill was immediately moved back to the Senate. This prevented any motions to reconsider the House vote. On March 16, 2015, the Senate approved the revised bill 25 to 14. Because the bill sent back from the House had been a Senate bill with additions from the House, senators only had to vote yes or no to the House revisions and were not able to offer amendments. The bill was signed into law by Brownbeck on March 25, 2015.

The approved bill replaced the current system with block grants for two years while the funding formula is overhauled. Republican leaders argued that the state's funding formula, which is based on a per-pupil formula and includes weighting for bilingual and low-income students, was broken. Senate President Susan Wagle (R-30), who voted in favor of the old formula in 1992 and in favor of SB 7, said, "We are no longer talking about student outcomes and student achievement. We’re fighting for money."

Sen. Tom Holland (D-3)

Not all of her colleagues agreed that SB 7 was a solution to education funding woes. Some senators objected to how quickly the bill was passed and to the lack of discussion before the final Senate vote on the matter. Sen. Tom Holland (D-3) voted against the measure and said:

“	While Charles and David Koch may have won this particular battle, Kansas families can at least take some small measure of comfort in knowing that our Kansas courts — as yet uncorrupted by the supply-side ideology cancer that has metastasized Kansas’ legislative and executive branches of government — that they are keeping a watchful eye on this Legislature’s actions.	”
—Sen. Tom Holland (D-3) (2015)

Judicial response
Holland was referencing judicial action taken the same day the House passed SB 7, when a three-judge district court panel ordered the reopening of a school funding lawsuit that had been settled in 2014. The lawsuit was settled after the Legislature equalized funding between districts through increased allocations, but the new court order reopened the equity portion of the case. It also added new state officials to the list of defendants in the case, including the state treasurer and revisor of statutes. The panel announced that it might issue temporary orders blocking the recent legislative action if necessary "to preserve the status quo and to assure the availability of relief, if any, that might be accorded should the Court deem relief warranted.”

Superintendent testifies against HB 2292

See also: Common Core State Standards Initiative

On February 23, 2015, Superintendent Rick Doll testified before the House Education Committee against House Bill 2292. The bill, if approved, would repeal Common Core standards for reading and math, as well as standards for science, history and social studies, health, sex education and character development. It would replace those standards with those that were in place before the 2010 adoption of Common Core, and it would prohibit the Kansas State Board of Education from adopting new standards from any national or multistate groups.

In his testimony, Doll stated:

“	Some of our students enter our schools that have behavior problems. Instead of complaining about those kids, we very much want to teach them how to behave correctly. This bill would prohibit us from using character education and other methods to teach kids how to behave properly. It’s a huge issue for us.	”
—Superintendent Rick Doll (2015)

He also explained how the bill could force the closure of the district's virtual school, a program which serves over 1,000 students:

“	That virtual school curriculum meets the needs of many parents who want to home school, but they do want to be connected to a curriculum, and they want to be connected to a teacher. Couldn’t do it. Those standards are written around and matched up with the more rigorous standards.	”
—Superintendent Rick Doll (2015)

Others who testified to the House committee likened Common Core standards to Nazi Germany and labeled books in the English curriculum "legalized pornography." Interim Kansas Commissioner of Education Brad Neuenswander has responded the criticisms of the standards by saying that many confused the standards with school curriculum. The standards, as he described them, only list the knowledge and skill sets students school achieve in each grade level while the curriculum is the actual set of courses and materials that a school or district uses to meet the standards. The state board updates its math and English standards every seven years, which includes 2015.

Local option budget question

On January 27, 2015, a mail ballot election approved a 2 percent increase in the district's local option budget (LOB). The LOB provides local funding for teachers and classroom instruction to supplement the district's general fund, which was set at 31 percent by the state. School districts were allowed to increase their LOBs by two percent in 2014. While the board approved the increase, it had to be voted upon by district residents to remain in place. According to materials provided by the school district, $1.4 million in the school budget would have been cut or reallocated if the question had not passed.

Voters approved the LOB increase by over 80 percent. Turnout for the vote was 32.58 percent.

U.S.D. 497 Special Question Election (2015)
Result		Votes	Percentage
a Yes		14,449	83.64%
No		2,826	16.36%

Ballotpedia survey responses

Four of the 11 candidates in this election participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates as of March 18, 2015. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from Bob Byers, Marcel Harmon, Rick Ingram and Norine Spears.

Top priorities

Bob Byers

When asked what his top priorities would be if elected, Byers stated:

“	In the beginning it would be to provide a child centered view on the budgetary situation facing the district. By involving the community in assist in focusing the board on directions in term of budgetary decisions.	”
—Bob Byers (2015)

Marcel Harmon

When asked what his top priorities would be if elected, Harmon stated:

“	My top priority is to both listen to and communicate with the community, as well as collaboratively work with my fellow board members, the administrators and district personnel. Beyond that I’m not sure I have a “top” priority. An immediate priority is school funding – advocating with the legislature during the remainder of this session, adjusting the remainder of this year’s budget based on potential cuts to the 2014-2015 school year and then soon after budgeting for next year based on the outcomes in Topeka. After that comes the areas I’ve been assigned to as a board member and have the skills/experience to best address, such as the new sustainability goal, facilities issues (including the bond implementation) and science standards implementation.	”
—Marcel J. Harmon (2015)

Rick Ingram

When asked what his top priorities would be if elected, Ingram stated:

Norine Spears

“	To help all children achieve while also helping to overcome achievement gaps. To provide an equatable learning environment in each classroom so that all kids have an opportunity. And, if we need to cut budgets to do so in a way that does not harm children.	”
—Rick Ingram (2015)

Spears did not reply to the question, "If elected to the board, what would be your top priority?"

Ranking the issues

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 the candidates' rankings from most to least important:

Issue importance ranking
Issue	Four-year term candidates		Two-year term candidates
	Byers' ranking	Ingram's ranking	Harmon's ranking	Spears' ranking
Balancing or maintaining the district's budget	1	5	1	1
Closing the achievement gap	3	1	2	2
Expanding arts education	6	6	4	4
Expanding career-technical education	2	2	5	3
Expanding school choice options	7	7	7	7
Improving college readiness	4	3	6	6
Improving education for special needs students	5	4	3	5

Positions on the issues

The candidates were asked to answer 10 multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. Links to the candidates' responses can be found below.

• Bob Byers survey responses
• Marcel Harmon survey responses
• Rick Ingram survey responses
• Norine Spears survey responses

Key deadlines

The following were the key deadlines for the 2015 Kansas school board election cycle:

Deadline	Event
January 27, 2015	Candidate filing deadline
February 10, 2015	Voter registration deadline for primary election
February 21, 2015	In-person advance primary voting begins
March 3, 2015	Primary Election Day
March 17, 2015	Voter registration deadline for general election
March 28, 2015	In-person advance voting began
April 7, 2015	General Election Day
July 1, 2015	Election winners begin terms

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: Kansas elections, 2015

The Lawrence Board of Education election shared primary and general election ballots with the election for the Lawrence City Commission, which had three seats up for election.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lawrence Public Schools Kansas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Lawrence Public Schools, Kansas elections (2015) - Google News

See also

Lawrence Public Schools	Kansas	School Boards
Lawrence Public Schools elections (2013) List of school districts in Kansas	Kansas school board elections, 2015 Public education in Kansas Local ballot measures, Kansas	School board elections, 2015 School board elections, 2014 School board election data analysis, 2015 School board election data analysis, 2014

External links

Suggest a link

• Lawrence Public Schools
• Douglas County Clerk