Five of the 10 seats on the Kansas State Board of Education will be up for a vote in Tuesday’s statewide election.
Democratic incumbents are seeking re-election to two of those seats. The incumbents in the three other districts, one Democrat and two Republicans, are vacating their seats.
Members of the board serve four-year terms, with half the seats coming up for a vote every two years.
The five seats not up for a vote are held by Republicans Michelle Dombrosky, Danny Zeck, Cathy Hopkins, Dennis Hershberger and Jim Porter. All but Porter are conservatives who have campaigned against what they described as “woke” leanings in public schools.
Who’s running?
This year, board president and Democrat incumbent Melanie Haas faces Republican Fred Postlewait in the Kansas City, Kansas, area’s District 2.
Republican Connie O’Brien and Democrat Kris Meyer are vying for the seat being vacated by Democrat Ann Mah in District 4, which extends from Johnson and Leavenworth counties in the east, snakes through Franklin, Douglas and Shawnee counties and includes all of Osage County.