Final questions for Lawrence school board candidates as Election Day draws near

With the city election less than a week away, we had a few more questions for the people running to serve on the Lawrence school board.

Five out of seven school board seats will be on the ballot in the Nov. 7 general election.

In our final questionnaire, candidates share their views on transgender athletes in school sports, compensation for board service, the performance of the board and superintendent, and more. 

Jump to a section:
• Quick questions
• Board inspiration, compensation and more
• Final pitches

This year’s school board election is an unusual one. It includes four seats for candidates who will serve four-year terms, and one seat for candidates to serve out the unexpired two years of the term of a board member who resigned to move out of state. Two candidates, Shannon Kimball (incumbent) and Ariel Miner, are running for the two-year term. Voters can only vote for one of the two on their ballots.

The other candidates, Carole Cadue-Blackwood (incumbent), Anne Costello, Yolanda Franklin, GR Gordon-Ross (incumbent), Edward Gonzales, Jody Meyer, Brandon Moore and Rachel Stumblingbear, are running to serve four-year terms. Voters will be able to vote for up to four of those candidates on their ballots. Kevin Coronado’s name will also appear on the ballot despite his choice to remove himself from the race.

Beyond the unusual number of seats on the ballot, this election also follows two tense years of budget cuts and the closures of Kennedy, Broken Arrow and Pinckney elementary schools. Although there was a primary election to narrow the candidates running for the two-year seat, there was no primary in the race for four-year terms to illuminate how the general election might go.

In the answers to each questions below, we’ve indicated who’s running for the two-year term and who’s running for the four-year term to avoid confusion.

Costello responded that she would not be able to meet the publication deadline but would send her answers as soon as possible. Meyer did not respond to this questionnaire.

Find out how to cast your ballot on or before Nov. 7 and find much more election coverage, including more questionnaires and coverage of forums in which candidates have participated, at lawrencekstimes.com/election2023.

Quick questions

These first five questions just required checking boxes; question 6 gave candidates room to elaborate on any of the first five answers.

1. Do you believe transgender girls should be allowed to play in girls sports, and that transgender boys should be allowed to play in boys sports?

Note for context: The Kansas Legislature in April passed HB 2238, which bans transgender girls from playing girls sports. The Lawrence school district, however, has pledged to support students.

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: Yes

Miner: Yes

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: Yes

Franklin: Yes

Gonzales: Yes

Gordon-Ross: Yes

Moore: Yes

Stumblingbear: Yes

2. If elected, on which standing board committees would you most want to serve?

We asked candidates to please choose at least one, but up to three. Options included the Boundary Advisory Committee, Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, District Site Council, Equity Advisory Council, Facility Planning Committee, Fringe Benefit Committee, Negotiations Committee and Policy Review Committee.

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, Facility Planning Committee, Policy Review Committee

Miner: Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, District Site Council, Equity Advisory Council

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: Boundary Advisory Committee, Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, Equity Advisory Council

Franklin: Equity Advisory Council, Fringe Benefit Committee, Negotiations Committee

Gonzales: Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, Equity Advisory Council, Facility Planning Committee

Gordon-Ross: Boundary Advisory Committee, Facility Planning Committee, Negotiations Committee

Moore: Budget and Program Evaluation Committee, Equity Advisory Council, Policy Review Committee

Stumblingbear: Boundary Advisory Committee, Negotiations Committee, Policy Review Committee

3. Please rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the performance of the current school board throughout the past two years.

(1 = very bad, 10 = excellent)

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: 9

Miner: 4

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: 8

Franklin: 6

Gonzales: 5

Gordon-Ross: 6

Moore: 4

Stumblingbear: 8

4. Please rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the performance of Superintendent Anthony Lewis throughout the past two years.

(1 = very bad, 10 = excellent; after hearing from incumbents about potential legal concerns regarding this question, we did not require responses)

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: (Skipped; explanation below)

Miner: 2

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: (Skipped; explanation below)

Franklin: 4

Gonzales: 4

Gordon-Ross: (Skipped; explanation below)

Moore: 4

Stumblingbear: 9

5. Please rank on a scale of 1 to 10 the performance of central district administration throughout the past two years.

(1 = very bad, 10 = excellent; after hearing from incumbents about potential legal concerns regarding this question, we did not require responses)

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: (Skipped; explanation below)

Miner: 4

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: (Skipped; explanation below)

Franklin: 4

Gonzales: 6

Gordon-Ross: (Skipped; explanation below)

Moore: 6

Stumblingbear: 8

6. Optional explanation space: Here is room to explain or elaborate on any answer(s) from questions 1 through 5 above.

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: Q1-Our mission and purpose as a public school district is to provide equitable educational opportunities to each and every one of our students, without exception and without discrimination. Transgender students deserve to be treated with the same dignity, respect, and equality of opportunities as every other student.

Q4-NA – As a sitting board member, I have a fiduciary, legal, and ethical obligation to follow board policy regarding the superintendent evaluation process and to protect the privacy of district employees as it relates to personnel matters. I will not provide a rating in response to this question because doing so would be in conflict with those obligations. It is critical for board members to take those obligations seriously, given the vital role that the board’s work with the superintendent has in the lives and experiences of students and staff.

Q5-NA – As a sitting board member, I have a fiduciary, legal, and ethical obligation to follow board policy regarding personnel matters and to protect the privacy of district employees as it relates to such matters. I will not provide a rating in response to this question because doing so would be in conflict with those obligations. It is essential for board members to take those obligations seriously, given the significant role of district staff in working with the board to support students success.

Q3-My response to this question is a ranking of my individual strengths as a board member, and not of the collective work of my board colleagues. Board policy governs the board self-evaluation process, and the board uses a comprehensive evaluation tool for this purpose: (See this link.)

Many factors define excellence in board service. Reducing those factors for 7 people to a single ranking does not honor the complexity of the work or the individual board members’ commitment to service. Our board is strong in its commitment to centering the collective needs of all students in its decision making; when the board identifies opportunities for collective growth, it accesses professional learning to support those needs.

Miner: Although there are administrators and board members doing good work, the lack of transparency, accountability, and leadership overall results in my low rankings. The board hires, monitors, and evaluates the superintendent. I think they’ve neglected this very core responsibility. The extension of the superintendent’s contract was approved without the community being able to read the contract prior to a vote. This goes against the board’s own governance manual, which states that a “functional board operates in the open and involves the community in decision making.” Constituent concerns during the school closure process were unaddressed by the superintendent, central administrators, and the majority of the board.

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: I decline comment at this time due to the potential that it may violate employee privacy.

Franklin: This explanation is for questions 3-5. The school board is there to hold the superintendent accountable and to make sure that their job is done, and done well. That has not happened in my observation. We may have the highest graduation rates, but our children are graduating with a 4-5th grade reading level. We have lost 300 students just within the past year. The board is not holding the superintendent accountable, and the superintendent is failing in his duties. We must do better.

Gonzales: The transgender question my feelings are two fold. On one side I worry about Transgender boys in contact sports. Before I would even be able to sign on to that I would want to have a conversation with the student and the parents to ensure they are all aware of the risks involved. If all were ok with it I have no problem signing off on it. I am more concerned with the safety of the students rather then the chance to be apart of said sport.

Gordon-Ross: For question 1, I have a strong belief in supporting our LGBTQIA+ students and working to create a supportive and welcoming environment. While the State Legislature has made this support harder with recent statutory changes, it doesn’t change my stance of being supportive.

For question 3, we as a board already have a mechanism for self-evaluation. Consolidating that process down to a single 1 to 10 scale would do disservice to that process. So, I am not evaluating the entire board or my fellow board colleagues. I choose instead to evaluate how I’ve done in meeting the obligations of a board member. I chose a 6 because I still have plenty of room for growth in areas such as communicating my thought process, responding to emails in a timely manner and being available to the public outside of board meetings. I feel I’ve made progress, compared to previous years, in reporting on the work I’m doing, in attending district events at various schools.

I also continue to evaluate data as it’s presented to me and how decisions I make will impact the entire district. I am also trying to look ahead at how the decisions we’re asked to make today will steer the district 3 or 5 years from now and use that to direct the work I do.

As a current board of education member, and upon advice from KASB legal staff, I have decided to decline to answer question #4 and #5. As a board we have a mechanism with which we evaluate Dr Lewis and publicly giving him a rating would be in conflict with that process. We also have a policy around how we discuss district staff and giving a group of staff an overall rating would be in conflict with this policy.

Moore: Our current school board has been task with a lot of impossible decisions. I can’t say that I agree or disagree with all of them due to the absolute lack of transparency that has occurred. The Boards decision to award an additional contract to RSP & Associates who projected for the district to lose 300 students in the next 5 years. When in fact we lost that total in just 1 year. You can only be that wrong if you’re a meteorologist and keep your job, but we threw $80k back at them for another study. Not good stewards of our money.

Stumblingbear: Throughout the past 2 years I do think our school board has been consistent with the work that they are doing. I believe that the superintendent and district staff are doing the work that they have been directed to do.

Board inspiration, compensation and more

7. Name a previous or incumbent board member who is not running in this election who you admire, and share why you admire them?

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: I greatly admire and respect Representative Barbara Ballard. She has been a trailblazing leader and has dedicated her life in service to our community in so many ways. I look up to her for the way she approaches her public service—with a positive outlook, an open mind, a caring heart, and a common-sense approach to problem solving that has served our community well. Thank you, Representative Ballard!

Miner: I admire the public service of Barbara Ballard. Her commitment to mental health services and lifelong work in education is commendable. She paved the way for minority women to have a seat at the table and continues to be a voice of strength for under-represented groups. She served the students of this community during a time when this district was sought after and respected. I truly admire her endurance, tenacity, and ability to bring people together.

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: Austin Turney Sr. whom we lost last year was a role model and mentor of mine. He dedicated his life to service. He was a Korean War veteran and a two-time USD 497 Board of Education President from 1997-2008. He always thought critically and had an open heart and mind with the most vulnerable populations at the forefront.

Franklin: Barbara Ballard – She served on the school board for 2 terms. Her principles never wavered and she stood on them for her entire tenure on the board. She spoke out and fought for the continued education of our minorities. Being the first African American woman to run and be elected to the Lawrence School Board in 1985, she knew what it was like to be looked at as a little person and counted out. She was and remains a trailblazer, and a true public servant to this very day.

Gonzales: To be honest I have not kept up with the members of the school board till this election. Now going through the election I respect and admire all of them for their persistence and will to do the right thing by the district. It is a hard job and for the most part a thankless one. They have earned my respect for sure.

Gordon-Ross: Erica Hill. I admire Erica for so many reasons. In everything she does, she leads with integrity. She has been able to leave a legacy within our community with the work she did, and still does, with the LMH Health Leadership Academy. She is a Boys and Girls Club volunteer and well as a Big. She is a strong, dedicated, passionate advocate of public schools and always speaks her truth. She is not only an asset for our school district, but for our entire Lawrence community.

Moore: (Skipped)

Stumblingbear: I have a great respect for Erica Hill. She is also on the Public Health Board, so I have gotten to watch her work on both boards over the past few years. I appreciate that she speaks up when she thinks something is wrong or needs to be better, and then she follows through with asking what is being done to fix the issue.

8. What do you believe is the single biggest threat to the Lawrence school district right now, and why?

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: Continuing shortfalls in state funding for general and special education are the biggest continuing threats to the future of public schools in Lawrence and statewide. Public schools have endured a constant, chronic state of fiscal duress caused by the Kansas Legislature’s lack of commitment to public education—the Kansas Supreme Court has ruled 7 times in the last 20 years that the Legislature unconstitutionally underfunded schools. The enduring negative impacts of this cannot be overstated.

Miner: The biggest threat to our district is twofold – one, the false narrative that public education is broken; two, backing a superintendent whose solution is privatization. Data shows specialized schools further inequities and divide communities. Public education IS the bedrock of democracy. We need board members that value community schools, respect teachers and staff, support students, and understand that a threat to public education is a threat to democracy and to the stability of our community.

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: We need to build trust and repair relationships with families. The community is grasping on to Restorative Justice and practices. Our district just entered into a Mission of Understanding for Douglas County Truancy Prevention Diversions to improve student outcomes.

Franklin: The biggest threat to our district is the complete lack of accountability by board members and administration who refuse to see the real consequences of their decisions.

Gonzales: The biggest threat to the Lawrence school district is the lack of transparency. While positive changes are happening, the current board’s failure to communicate these efforts undermines trust, awareness, and accountability, hindering progress in critical areas like equality and renewable resources. Increasing transparency is essential to ensure community support and engagement. The community deserves to know what is going on and I intend to bring it to the public’s eye.

Gordon-Ross: The single biggest threat to the Lawrence school district is the state legislature. The actions that the legislature chooses to take, and not take, have a significant impact on our ability to conduct our business in the way we know our community would like us to. By choosing to put vouchers, reducing base state and once again not fund special education back on the docket, the legislature is actively working to take funding away from our district and forcing us to respond to them.

Moore: Loss of students to the district causing loss of funding and loss of faculty and staff.

Stumblingbear: I don’t think we have one single biggest threat. Insufficient funding from the state effects staff pay and student programs which in turn effects school and work place culture.

9. Would you support compensation for school board members? Why or why not?

Notes for context: School board positions are currently unpaid, but the Kansas Legislature recently changed the law to allow compensation for board members.

Lawrence City Commission and Douglas County Commission positions are paid. Lawrence school board members are elected volunteers.

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: I do not support compensation for school board members in the current political and fiscal environment. Given the ongoing significant shortfalls in state funding, the money the district receives should not be allocated to board member salaries.

Miner: The school board is first and foremost a place of public service to help our children and community. But without compensation, it allows more privileged people the opportunity to serve. In a healthier fiscal situation, I wouldn’t be completely against compensation for members’ time and work – especially to ensure inclusive representation of the community on the board. That said, our district is not in any financial shape to consider this while we still have staff who do not earn a living wage.

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: No. I would not be in favor of compensating board members. Any extra resources should go directly to the students.

Franklin: I personally believe that serving on the school board is the privilege of being a public servant, however, I do see that with this currently being an unpaid position, it has allowed for more privileged people to run for the school board to the exclusion of the average working citizen. It gives a very certain type of person an advantage to serve that should be open to all citizens.

Gonzales: No, I would not. If we can’t pay our teachers and staff a REAL wage then the top doesn’t deserve to have more. Attitude reflects leadership. Our teachers and staff see the bumps in pay in the administration and it is not fair to see the increases when they have to wait 2 decades for a ‘historic’ raise. It is time to put a stop to the raises in administration and give to the people doing the hard work.

Gordon-Ross: Yes. The work of a school board member can be a lot. Beyond just two Monday evenings a month, you have the occasional work session; standing board committees; site council meetings; school visits; superintendent meetings; school district events; meetings with the public; etc. All of which meet at various times and on different schedules. It’s a lot to ask of a person who has a full-time job. If there was compensation, there is a possibility it would open the opportunity for more people.

Moore: Not if it was taken from funds that impacted the districts ability to provide services to the students and teachers/staff. The are so grossly underfunded now, how could we take money from them for ourselves?

Stumblingbear: At this time I would not consider compensating school board members. Our district has been making budget decisions to be more efficient, which have resulted in eliminating positions and closing schools. It doesn’t seem right to pay school board members at this time. I am willing to volunteer my time and attention for this work. I took my time and availability into account before deciding to run for office.

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10. What is one question you would like your fellow board candidates to answer? How would you answer that question?

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: Q-Apart from attending twice-monthly board meetings, what are the responsibilities of a board member and how will you prioritize fulfilling them?

A-There are weeks that I prioritize a full-time job’s worth of hours on the policy, advocacy, and outreach work of a board member. Constituent services, board committees, site councils, professional learning, and community/school events—all are essential to be well informed, accessible to the community, and gather feedback from multiple perspectives.

Miner: How can the district be more fiscally responsible?

Check vouchers should include descriptions for services and company/vendor information. Publish the budget profile for 2023-2024. Publish the Lawrence Schools Foundation 2022 report. Don’t send public funds to private schools. Central administrator salaries, benefits, and job descriptions should be public and updated regularly. Student/district activity fund reports should return to the format that includes building totals and deposits.

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: Would you be in favor of closing schools?

Franklin: How would you address the lack of transparency in our school board budget? Through a full internal and external audit of every single expenditure – who it went to, exactly what the money bought us and return on investment, and why specific organizations and vendors were selected to receive our tax dollars.

Gonzales: Why are we leaning on things done in the past and not what is up ahead of us? My answer is simple the current system is flawed and one-sighted. We are internalizing what is good because we don’t want the district to know the bad. But in this election we have seen that there are times where our incumbents have to back-peddle questions. Its time to pull back the curtain and actually pay attention to the man behind it.

Gordon-Ross: What are some things you feel are going well within the district?

There are a lot of areas that I feel show we are headed in the right direction. Some of them include our highest graduation rate in 18 years, our increased participation in college preparatory classes, buildings facilitating activities and environments to welcome new families, both high schools are ranked in the top 25 in the state and the number of teachers leaving our district is down.

Moore: What will you do differently than the current board members to ensure transparency occurs? I would advocate that unless a personnel issue is being discussed nothing should be discussed in a closed meeting including committee meetings.

Stumblingbear: I think all candidates should answer: How are you going to keep the community informed about what is happening in the school district? For me, I plan to attend community meetings and talk with constituents. I plan to be responsive to emails received from staff and community members.

Final pitches

11. Why should voters choose you for this office?

Candidates for the 2-year seat:

Kimball: As a USD 497 parent and leader, I bring knowledge, experience, dedication, and commitment to the board—making decisions informed by community input and goals and grounded in data and a deep understanding of district operations, finances, staff/student needs, and education policy. For over a decade, I have been at the table with community and statewide partners, fighting for what our district needs and for the excellent education our students and families deserve.

To succeed, our district and school board need experienced education leaders. Board service requires far more than shallow talking points and superficial promises. It demands a proven commitment to sustainable, realistic, long-term solutions to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We have made important progress—historic staff wage increases, graduation rates at a 16-year high, and award-winning academic programs. On November 7, I ask for your vote so that I can continue this critical work.

Miner: Vote for me because I’m not willing to settle for dysfunctional leadership that is failing our students. Vote for me because I will demand complete transparency and honesty from district leaders. There is too much at stake and our children are counting on us to do better. The answer is not to lower expectations, but instead to join forces to solve our problems and hold well paid administrators accountable. Vote for me because I understand that the superintendent serves at the pleasure of the board and the public holds the power through elected representatives.

Candidates for the 4-year seats:

Cadue-Blackwood: I grew up in Lawrence and raised my family here. My Dad and my husband are both veterans. I feel like it’s incumbent upon for me to give back to this community that has served me well.

Franklin: I have lived and felt the impact of the decisions made by this board over the last decade like so many others. I will no longer settle for a system that refuses to take accountability for their decisions or their mistakes. I will work every day bridging the gap between the district and our community, and fighting for every single teacher, staff member, and child. I do not take this responsibility lightly. I am committed to ensuring accountability, transparency, and opportunity for everyone.

Gonzales: Voters should choose me for this office because I am committed to positive change in our education system. I prioritize transparency, ensuring that decisions are made openly and with the input of the community. I’m dedicated to increasing teacher pay, recognizing their invaluable role in shaping our future. Reducing administrative bloat will direct more resources where they belong: the classroom. My unwavering focus is on students, their needs, and their success. I am here to serve the community and make our education system better for everyone.

Gordon-Ross: I believe in public education because of the impact it had on me and my family. This district has been able to give my children incredible opportunities and I am committed to ensuring every child who attends Lawrence Public Schools has access to those same opportunities. During my almost 5 years on the board, I have been committed to the success of our staff – supporting the expanded rights of our classified staff. I have supported the equity work of the board by voting in favor of both the equity and dress code policies. I have served on facilities, boundaries and negotiations – and some of the work I’ve done is to help bridge opportunity gaps and increase staff wages. We have made progress on our graduation rates, our 3rd grade reading and 8th grade math targets. I ask for your vote on November 7th so I can continue to advocate for increased wages for staff, ensuring they have the necessary resources. I will also create opportunities for student success after graduation.

Moore: I have significant experience with budgeting for businesses and with improving moral. I want the focus back on the staff and students with full transparency. They should be involved in the decisions, making because all of those decision will impact them the most, and I don’t believe that has been the case the last few years.

Stumblingbear: I want to be part of ensuring that our current and future students are receiving a quality education, learning the life skills they need, and are prepared to face challenges and joys in their future. Public education is one of the bedrocks of our nation. Everyone is entitled to it. I want to help our community to plan for the future. I am willing and ready to serve a complete four year term.

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