The line for those wanting to run for school board is not exactly long.
As of Tuesday afternoon, nobody had filed for a Lyon County school board race. And as of today, there were 20 days left — the deadline hits at noon on Jan. 23.
It’s not exactly unusual. And the ballot does have a way of filling up once everyone realizes the race is on. Two years ago, for example, Emporia saw enough last-minute filings in its school board race to force a primary election.
“At this point, I wouldn’t consider it a concern,” said Nancy Horst, spokeswoman for the Emporia school district. “There’s been a lot of attention given to the city commission, so I guess it makes sense that there’s a lot of candidates there. So far, I’m not sure people know we have a school board race.”
Even the incumbents in Emporia, North Lyon County and Southern Lyon County had yet to file, although some of them had made up their minds one way or the other. And all of them will have to decide soon.
“It’s getting time,” Emporia school board clerk Norma Stinnett said. “They kind of need to say yes or no.”
The Gazette attempted to contact each of the incumbents to find out their intentions. The responses were as follows:
Emporia
School board president Jeff Larson has already turned in his resignation. Larson will soon become Emporia’s newest district judge and under Kansas law he cannot continue to hold his school board seat.
The board will vote on Larson’s resignation at its Jan. 11 board meeting and then publish a notice of the vacancy. The board must then take at least 15 days to nominate a replacement, who will serve until Larson’s term ends July 1.
Board member Jerry Fair has decided not to run for re-election. A retired accountant, Fair has served for eight years but decided the time has come to slow down a bit.
“Frankly, I’m past doing this anymore,” she said. “By the time another four years is up, I’d be 68. That’s pushing it.”
Fair said she’d still like to do some one-day volunteer work that didn’t require as many committee meetings and allowed more time for her and her husband to travel.
Board members Kevin Nelson and Grant Riles could not be reached for comment.
All Emporia seats are at large.
North Lyon County
Reading representative Ronda Hooper and at-large board member Robert Karr will not be trying for another round on the North Lyon County school board.
Hooper, the Reading postmaster, has been on the board for 10 years. At this point, she said, that’s probably about enough.
“My kids are all out of school and I just have other things I want to pursue,” she said.
Karr, a retired teacher, has been on the board eight years. He said he was ready to let someone else take over.
“My age is the primary reason for my decision,” Karr said. “I’ve been retired since 1997 — you can do the math.”
“The district is in wonderful shape,” he added. “It’s had trouble financially — that always has been the case and probably always will be — but our staff and our programs are above and beyond everyone.”
Karen Boyce, who represents the Admire-Allen-Bushong-Miller region, will also not be running again and for a very basic reason: she no longer lives in the area she represents. Boyce moved to a new home elsewhere in the school district last week.
Even without that, she said, “I had already made up my mind. I decided it was time for me to not do that and let someone else come on.”
Boyce, who works as a school psychologist in Council Grove, has been on the school board for four years.
Board member Sarah Meenen of the Americus region could not be reached for comment.
Southern Lyon County
Board member Shelly Jenkins of Neosho Rapids has decided to run again, and board member Roland Martin of Hartford said he’s leaning in that direction.
“I got to thinking about that today, telling myself ‘I’d better go in and re-file,’” Jenkins said on Tuesday. “The New Year comes so fast.”
Jenkins, an executive assistant for TFI Family Services, has been on the board for two years and says she is having too much fun to quit now.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t realize when I was just a patron.”
Martin, a farmer and rancher who is an at-large member of the board, said he would probably run again.
“I guess that sounds kind of vague,” he admitted with a chuckle. “But I run in an at-large district and I think I represent the district as a whole very well.”
Martin has served for 12 years. He originally ran in 1995 because it seemed the best way to lend a hand.
“I have had a lot of leadership experience and leadership training, so I decided it was something I could do and that I would do a decent job of it,” he said. “We’ve got a good district and I enjoy helping all of the people in the district.”
Meanwhile, board member Jerry O’Connor of Hartford is bowing out. O’Connor, who works in the construction business, said he’s been getting too busy to give the school board the attention it deserves.
“I haven’t been able to make some of the meetings,” said O’Connor, who has served two years. “A responsible person should be able to make all of them.”
Unlike some new board members, O’Connor was not intimidated by the school district’s budget.
“People say, ‘Oh, the budget is so difficult!’” he said. “I’ve farmed for 25 years. I’ve had to do a fuel budget and various other budgets. It’s just a little bigger. You just add some zeroes to it.”
Board member John Brinkman of Olpe could not be reached for comment.