Moderates trounce conservative challengers in Johnson County school board races

Moderate incumbents on the Blue Valley school board won an easy victory over a slate of conservative challengers in Tuesday’s election, according to unofficial final numbers.

Competing for the open at-large board seat, Clay Norkey, a Democrat, won 16,200 votes, while challenger Michael Huebner, part of a conservative slate, won 12,345 votes. In the northeast area of the district, incumbent Jan Kessinger won 16,066 votes, while challenger Christine Vasquez won 12,009

For the northwestern seat, incumbent Patrick Hurley, who has served on the school board since 2015, won 15,402 votes, ahead of newcomer Trisha Hamilton with 12,479. In the southern portion of the district, incumbent Jodie Dietz won 16,279 votes, to Rachel Faagutu’s 11,055 and Amie Callahan’s 1,317 votes.

Like in other Johnson County districts, school board candidates were starkly divided on hot topic issues, including diversity initiatives and curriculum on gender and race.

But that divide was most clear in Blue Valley, as the eight candidates running for the four nonpartisan school board seats divided themselves up into two clear factions. On one side, incumbents, as well as Norkey, campaigned together, saying the district is headed in the right direction but can do more to tackle staffing and funding challenges. The slate includes two Republicans and two Democrats.

The other slate was made up of the conservative newcomers, who argued the district should get back to the academic basics and not focus on diversity and equity initiatives. Voters received a mailer advocating for the slate, paid for by the 1776 Project PAC, a New York-based political action committee targeting local school board races, that is aimed at abolishing critical race theory, a college-level framework for evaluating the impacts of racism on institutions. There is no evidence that it is being taught in Kansas K-12 schools.

Candidates running on a similar platform have recently seen success in the district. In a tight race in 2021, conservative Jim McMullen won by only 51 votes, and Kaety Bowers won by a larger margin, with 52.5% of the vote. They ran on frustrations over COVID-19 policies and the district mask mandate. Bowers has since resigned from her seat.

The election came as Hamilton, part of the conservative slate, faced widespread criticism for pressing charges against an eighth grader who threw water on her while yelling, “Trans Lives Matter!” The student is charged with battery in juvenile court.

Olathe school board

In Olathe, progressive incumbents and newcomers were in the lead by 9 p.m.

For the at-large seat, newcomer Will Babbit, who has the endorsement of the teachers union, had 14,424 votes, ahead of conservative second-time candidate Jennifer Gilmore, with 10,778 votes. Gilmore recently won a lawsuit against school officials when a jury decided her First Amendment rights were violated when she was removed from a school board meeting. She was kicked out because she accused a former opponent of “buying” the board seat.

Gilmore lost her 2021 bid in a tight race, where she ran alongside a conservative slate critical of COVID-19 policies and mask mandates.

Incumbent Stacey Yurkovich was in a strong lead with 15,276 votes, followed by Mark Wingren, with 7,495, and Dan Adera-Odhiambo, with 2,388 votes.

Board member and Democratic Kansas state Rep. Brad Boyd appeared headed toward a win with 14,461 votes, ahead of challenger Jesse Gillam, with 10,395.

And running for an open seat, Claire Reagan, backed by Democrats and the teachers union, had 15,169 votes, ahead of Holly Palacio, with 9,932.

Shawnee Mission school board

Incumbents and progressive newcomers also had a strong lead in the Shawnee Mission school board races.

By 9 p.m., running for an open seat, Mario Garcia III had 3,924 votes, ahead of Ronald Occhiogrosso, with 1,143 votes.

Incumbent Jessica Hembree was ahead with 3,283 votes, appearing ready to defeat Mark Tallent, with 867. Incumbent Jamie Borgman won 4,503 votes, ahead of challenger Lynn McLarty’s 2,655.

For an open at-large seat, David Westbrook had a strong lead with 20,986 votes, ahead of Logan Austin, with 8,820.

This is a developing story and will be updated.