Candidates for Blue Valley school board discussed their views on boosting student achievement, using AI in schools and attracting and retaining high-quality teachers in a forum hosted by the Johnson County Post.
The forum on Thursday at Leawood Pioneer Library, 4700 Town Center Drive, came on the sixth of 12 scheduled nights of local candidate forums that the Post is hosting across Johnson County ahead of the Nov. 4 election.
This was one of several candidate forums this fall that the Post is hosting with the help of the Johnson County Library.
Three of the four candidates in two contested races for school board participated, while a fourth candidate who was invited did not show up.
Who is running?
Member Area 5
- Gina Knapp (incumbent)
- Steve Roberts *Did not participate*
Member Area 6
- David Benson
- Jim McMullen (incumbent)
Voters should also note that there is a third uncontested race for the Member Area 4 seat. Current board member Sonya Evans does not face a challenger and, therefore, was not invited to participate Thursday night.
How to watch the Post’s forum
The Post livestreamed Tuesday’s event on our Facebook page. A recording of the forum can be viewed there, though it is now Facebook’s policy to erase live videos 30 days after they are produced.
You can also watch the full Blue Valley school board forum on the Post’s new YouTube channel, where it should be preserved into the future.
The full forum video is also embedded below:
Questions
The candidates gave opening statements and answered a series of questions based on reader feedback and suggestions received by the Post before and during the event.
Timestamps are included at the end of each question to help you navigate through the forum video if you’d like to jump around to issues that matter most to you.
- Opening statements [4:40]
- Challenge/priority: What is the next big challenge for the Blue Valley School District? And how will you address it over the next four years on the board? [9:00]
- Teacher pay/retention: From a reader, “What specific policies will you advocate for on the board to maximize teacher pay and retention that is different from other local districts where we compete for talented educators?” Is teacher pay and retention a priority for you? [14:30]
Current board member Gina Knapp, who has served as board president this year, is running for reelection. Photo credit Leah Wankum. - Personnel: How do you evaluate the performance of building-level principals or administrators if or when community members express concerns or dissatisfaction with their leadership? What should be the board’s role in instances like this? [19:38]
- Budget and finance: A recent op-ed in the Kansas City Star made the argument that Blue Valley’s academic performance has been slipping in recent years even as the district’s budget continues to increase and its reserves top $300 million. The writer suggested that the district was not effectively spending its money to drive student achievement. Blue Valley’s superintendent Gillian Chapman responded with her own written piece, pointing out that nearly all of the district’s reserves are restricted to paying for things like debt service and capital projects. Chapman also argued that by many metrics — including state tests scores, ACT scores, graduation rates and the number of National Merit semifinalists — Blue Valley is one of the top if not the top public school district in Kansas. As a board member, you will be in charge of approving the budget and setting spending priorities. Do you think Blue Valley is spending effectively on instruction that drives student outcomes? Why or why not? [23:32]
- Taxes: The biggest chunk of a Johnson County taxpayer’s annual tax bill goes to the local school district they reside in. Do you think Blue Valley taxpayers get good value for their tax dollars? What do you say to taxpayers, some of whom may not have children enrolled in the district, that they need property tax relief? [28:24]
David Benson is running for the Member 6 area seat on the Blue Valley school board. Photo credit Leah Wankum. - Vouchers/school choice: From a reader email, “Should funding from the State of Kansas be given to private schools?” As a board member, will you advocate for or against state policies or legislation that could take funding from public schools in order to go to the benefit of students and families enrolled in private or home schools? [34:18]
- Artificial intelligence: From a reader email, “What is your position on student use of AI for homework and school projects?” You can certainly share how you feel about the use of AI in education but to broaden the scope of this question, I’ll ask: what do you see as the school board’s role in guiding schools and teachers on how to use AI, if at all, in class? [38:04]
- Technology in class: Prompted by the AI discussion, candidates share more about their views on the use of technology in classrooms and schools, starting with comments Gina Knapp directed at Jim McMullen around 41:00
Current Member 6 area board member Jim McMullen is running for reelection. Photo credit Leah Wankum. - Remedial classes: A question from the audience, “Are you aware of the action taken by the Kansas Board of Regents, that forces public colleges and universities to no longer offer remedial courses? If so, what is your opinion on that?” Even if you’re not aware of this, what is your thought on how this impacts Blue Valley students moving on to higher education? [45:00]
- School shootings: From the audience, “Given ongoing high-profile school shootings and then the discharge of a firearm at Blue Valley Middle School recently, what measures do you support or wish to see to prevent gun violence at Blue Valley campuses?” [48:47]
- Qualifications: Consider this question a prompt for a closing statement. What qualifies you for this job? Why should voters vote for you?
