Partisan control of the Kansas State Board of Education is up for grabs Nov. 3, and a race in Johnson County could help determine the outcome.
In the open District 3 seat, Republican Jim McMullen and Democrat Amy Diediker both told the Post in recent interviews that schools need more academic rigor, but they split on how to get there.
The district represents southern Johnson County, including the Blue Valley, Gardner Edgerton, Olathe and Spring Hill districts.
McMullen, a former Blue Valley school board member, touts his “knowledge first” approach and says calls to educate the “whole child” have led to mission creep in local schools.
He’s critical of what he calls “stupid educational fads,” like DEI, inquiry mathematics and trauma-informed discipline practices. He wants schools to focus on what he sees as their core objective of creating an “academic-rich environment.”
Watch the Post’s full interview with Jim McMullen.
On the other hand, Diediker, a former teacher and the parent of a special needs child in the Olathe school district, says kids can’t learn without mental health and social-emotional support. That’s why she wants more social workers and psychiatrists in schools.
She also vows to loudly advocate for fully funding special education and says the state is already on the right path towards increasing student outcomes with a new “Blueprint for Literacy.”
Watch the Post’s full interview with Amy Diediker.
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