Some school board races in Johnson County are too close to call after unofficial election results came in Tuesday night.
A few incumbents on the Gardner Edgerton and Spring Hill school boards face close challenges, with only a handful of votes separating them from their opponents.
Meanwhile, Blue Valley voters kept their board president for a new term and booted another incumbent, favoring a former superintendent instead.
IN USD 232, two incumbents held onto their seats by comfortable margins and a third candidate who was largely in agreement with them on priorities and approaches also won handily.
Finally, the county’s two biggest school districts, Olathe and Shawnee Mission, will feature the same school boards because incumbent school board members ran unopposed in their races.
All election results are unofficial until the vote canvass is completed at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13. After that, election results will be official. See a map of the district areas here.
Olathe Board of Education
The Olathe Board of Education will remain unchanged after the election. Three members of the Board were up for reelection, including two who ran unopposed. Only incumbent Julie Steele faced a challenger, who dropped out of the race last month.
Member 3
School board Vice President Julie Steele was initially elected in 2021. Challenger Scott Enge dropped out of the race in October, but his name still appeared on the ballot. Steele received 16,476 or 76.3% of the votes.
Steele’s first race was much tighter — she won over challenger Jennifer Gilmore by just 65 votes.
Steele is the director of operations at an audiology practice she owns with her husband. Read more about her priorities in an interview with the Post last month.
The Post reached out to Steele for comment and will update this story when we hear back.
Member 5
Incumbent Robert Kuhn ran unopposed. Kuhn is a production manager at Mad City Windows and Bath and has been on the board since 2021. He received 14,692 or 97.1% of the votes.
Member 6
Becky Johann has served on the school board since February 2024. She is the clinical director of cardiology for the University of Kansas Health System’s Olathe campus. She received 12,885 or 96.5% of the votes.
Johann was appointed to the board after member Brian Connell resigned in January of 2024. Six people applied for the position, but the board ultimately chose Johann after applicant interviews and a special meeting.
Shawnee Mission Board of Education
Four years after contentious school board elections centered around debates over COVID and diversity policies, three incumbents on the Shawnee Mission school board ran without challengers this year.
They include current SM East area rep Mary Sinclair and at-large member Heather Ousley, who will both be serving their third term after facing no opponent in 2025.
Sinclair earned 9,399, or 97.9% of the vote, while Ousley took home 30,766, or 96.3% of the vote.
In addition, SM West area board member April Boyd-Noronha earns a second term in office after running unopposed. She received 5,939, or 98.2% of the vote.
See a map of the school board member areas here.
Blue Valley Board of Education
Read a recap of results from the Blue Valley races in our report here.
De Soto (USD 232) Board of Education
Two incumbents and one newcomer grabbed up three seats on the De Soto Unified School District No. 232 Board of Education in Tuesday night’s elections.
Seats for members 4, 5 and 6 were contested races. The race for Member 4 invited two newcomers, while incumbents in seats 5 and 6 fended off their challengers.
See a map of board member districts here.
Position 4
Lucy Rumsey DeWitt won the seat for position 4, defeating Nancy Moneymaker, by a margin of 58.6% to 41.3% in Election Night results.
Rumsey DeWitt told the Post that she didn’t quite believe the results at first, that it didn’t feel real until the messages started coming in.
“USD 232 does such an amazing job of taking care of students and preparing them that I am just excited to continue the good work that the board is doing,” Rumsey DeWitt said.
She takes the seat currently held by Danielle Heikes, who did not seek reelection. Heikes held the seat for about 10 years.
Position 5
In the race for position 5, incumbent Calley Malloy led against Christian Amend with 63.4% of the vote, securing her second term on the board.
In an updated statement sent Wednesday, Malloy said, “I am truly humbled and grateful for this community and for the opportunity to serve another four years. It’s an honor to continue the tradition of excellence in USD 232, and I remain deeply committed to ensuring that every student is prepared for college, career, and life beyond our schools.
This district has meant so much to my family, and I will continue to work hard to make it the best it can be. USD 232 remains the #2 district in the state of Kansas, and we will continue striving for even greater success. As we look ahead, we also anticipate significant growth in our district, and we will approach that expansion with thoughtful, strategic planning.”
Position 6
Member 6 incumbent Brandi Jonasson led against challenger TJ Finan, with 58.3% of the vote.
“I’m very relieved,” Jonasson said. “I’m excited that I get to continue with the progress we’ve made in USD 232. I’m excited to spend four more years advocating for the school district.”
Jonasson also mentioned the district’s #2 ranking in the state, adding that the board is always striving for more.
“We’re always trying to achieve more for our students and our teachers,” she said.
Gardner Edgerton Board of Education
Some races for the Gardner Edgerton Board of Education may be too close to call for incumbents fending off challenges.
Unofficial results from both Johnson and Miami county election offices show incumbent Greg Chapman lost Position 6 by a narrow margin to challenger Keith Davenport, who doesn’t live in the member district for the seat, but is looking to find a way to still serve.
Another incumbent board member appears poised to secure another term, and another incumbent kept his seat while running unopposed.
Finally, three newcomers vied for an unexpired term, and one came out on top.
Here’s a map of board member districts.
Position 1 (unexpired term)
For Position 1, newcomer Julie Aldridge appeared to lead against fellow newcomer Melissa Hershey by a margin of 45.5% to 41.9% in Election Night results. The third candidate, Matthew Harlow, held 12.3% of the vote.
Aldridge said she was “shocked and elated” when the results came in Tuesday night.
When her term starts in January, Aldridge said wants to focus on three key items:
- Improving and supporting special education programs
- School board transparency
- Hiring and retaining qualified teachers
Position 4
For Position 4, incumbent Lana Sutton led against challenger Sam Dominguez by 50.5% to 49.3%. This will be Sutton’s third term on the board.
The Post reached out to Sutton requesting comment and will update this story when we hear back.
Position 5
Thomas Reddin, currently the board president, ran unopposed for Position 5. He secured 2,257 or 95.4% of the vote.
Position 6
For the Position 6 race, only four votes separate incumbent Greg Chapman from his challenger, Keith Davenport. Unofficial results from both Johnson and Miami county election offices show Davenport took home 1,604 or 49.9% of the vote, while Chapman earned 1,600 or 49.8% of the vote.
“I want to thank the community for your support,” Davenport said in a statement on Facebook. “The fact that I am ahead at this stage after only running a campaign for a couple of weeks and with no money, signs or mailers points to the passion of our community.
“Regardless of the final results, I look forward to serving the community in whatever way it will have me,” he added. “I am proud to call this place my home.”
Chapman said he’s awaiting the official results before he releases a statement.
Davenport and Chapman’s race for Position 6 heated up when Davenport announced his intention to fill the seat if he wins last month, despite suspending his campaign after moving out of the member district’s boundaries in June.
Chapman said he believes Davenport would be ineligible for the position based on state regulations — including the Kansas Elections Standards, set by the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office, which state that school board officials should live in their member districts upon taking office.
While Davenport said he’s not trying to subvert the law, he wants to find a legal path to serve.
Spring Hill Board of Education
Spring Hill School District Board of Education incumbents trailed behind on two seats in the unofficial results Tuesday night. Two newcomers faced off for position 5, while incumbents in positions 4 and 6 are fending off challenges.
Here’s a map showing the boundaries of each of the school board member areas.
Position 4
For position 4, incumbent Nicole Melius appeared to trail behind challenger Autumn Coleman-Marconett. Unofficial results from both Johnson and Miami county offices show Coleman-Marconett received 1,667 or 51.1% of votes, while Melius took home 1,574 or 48.3%.
“I 100% work on my merit,” Coleman-Marconett said. “I’m not a big flashy person, I just prefer [for] the work to show for itself. So, to see those votes come in, I definitely felt humbled by the entire experience.”
When she takes office, Coleman-Marconett said she wants to prioritize reviewing the budget and supporting teachers.
“I would love to give power back to the teachers and the staff,” she said. “They have the degrees, they have the tools necessary to do the jobs. They should be able to do those jobs with the idea that the people who are backing them are the superintendent and the board of education.”
Melius said she’s waiting for provisional ballot counts before commenting on election results.
Position 5
Position 5 candidate Steve Miller led 52.9% against Chris Olsen’s 46.7%, according to unofficial results from Johnson and Miami county election offices.
The Post reached out to Miller via email requesting comment and will update this story when we hear back.
Position 6
For Position 6, incumbent Keith Ewing appeared to fall to challenger Ted Beauchamp. Unofficial results from both Johnson and Miami county election offices show Beauchamp earned 1,707 or 52.1% of the vote, while Ewing garnered 1,557 or 47.5% of the vote.
When the unofficial results came in on Election Night, Beauchamp said he was thrilled, surprised and humbled.
“I want to make this not just a sought after district for families, but a sought after district for the top administrative professionals in the state,” he said. “[Superintendent] Dr. Luttrell recently announced that he would be retiring after the 2026-2027 school year. I want to make sure that all potential superintendent candidates in the state see this as a very desirable job.”
In an emailed statement to the Post on Tuesday night, Ewing called it a “privilege” to serve the school district for the past four years.
“I hope the new members serve the district well and with integrity,” Ewing said.
Kate Mays, Margaret Mellott and Kyle Palmer contributed to this story.
