The Journal-World sent a seven-question survey to each school board candidate running for the four seats worth a four-year term. Seven people filed for those seats. The four winners will be determined in the April 7, 2015 general election. Read candidate profiles and questionnaires here.

• Shannon Kimball, 41, was elected to the board in 2011 and currently serves as its president. She works as an attorney with a focus on legal and policy issues relating to public schools.

What makes you the right candidate for the school board?

Experience, dedication and common-sense leadership. I care deeply about the work I do as a board member, and have led the board as vice president last year and president this year.

My experience with public schools extends well beyond my board service. As an attorney, I worked on a broad spectrum of education-related legal and policy issues. My legal experience gives me the skills to identify solutions that meet the needs of our diverse school communities.

As a parent of three, I am deeply invested in the success of our schools and am eager to continue working to support our students.

What issues should the school board focus on in the coming years?

Our district is doing great work for students. I will focus on expanding our successful initiatives, including:

• Increasing our graduation rate while closing achievement gaps.

• Supporting our College and Career Center and growing the district’s community partnerships.

• Expanding our blended learning classrooms.

• Completing successful implementation of the $92.5 million bond issue, so that all students have access to 21st century learning spaces.

• Emphasizing planning for our future teaching and learning and facilities needs.

• Our work in these areas will undoubtedly be affected and challenged by the state’s ongoing school finance discussions and negative budget outlook.

How should the board address the budget issues it faces because of state cuts?

We have to face these challenges using a collaborative process that involves representatives of our community, teachers, staff and administration in bringing recommendations to the board. These recommendations must be guided by the goals that the board has adopted for our district. We have to look at budget cuts through the lens of supporting excellence for our students.

In addition, we have to continue educating our legislators on the great work we do for our students. I have worked to communicate our priorities to our legislative delegation and will continue to inform and advocate on behalf of our students.

Are Lawrence students shortchanged in any aspect of their education?

Through our goal-setting process and the initiatives we have undertaken during the past four years — such as blended learning, the College and Career Center and our equity work — our district is doing a better job today of meeting the needs of all students. These gains have been impressive. Nevertheless, our students are negatively impacted by the legislature’s funding decisions. Funding for public schools has never fully recovered from the Great Recession; more cuts to funding will mean cuts to programs, which directly impact students. Our state’s leaders are shortchanging our students by refusing to acknowledge this reality.

Do you support Common Core standards? Why or why not?

I support our State Board’s adoption and implementation of the Kansas College and Career Ready Standards. The most important consideration is whether these standards are rigorous and prepare our students for their next step after high school. Every teaching and learning professional I have spoken with has agreed that the rigor and depth of these standards is superior and will better prepare our students for the future. More importantly, our board still exercises local control over curriculum — the courses, texts, etc. that teachers use to equip students with the knowledge and skills to meet the standards’ college- and career-ready expectations.

Should teachers have tenure rights? Is it “too hard” to fire teachers with tenure?

In Kansas, teachers do not have “tenure.” In our district, after five years of employment, teachers have due process rights, meaning that a teacher is entitled to a hearing before the teacher’s employment can be terminated. Teachers need to be able to advocate for what they believe is best for their students, without fear of risking their jobs. Our focus as a district must be on supporting our teachers through job-embedded professional development and meaningful evaluations. I support our current process, as it balances teachers’ needs with the district’s needs to ensure a highly qualified teaching staff.

Do you support moving school board elections to November in even numbered years and/or making the elections partisan?

I strongly disagree with this proposal. It is especially damaging to school districts because elections will occur in the middle of our fiscal and academic year. Such a change will greatly decrease both the voters’ and the candidates’ ability to focus on those policy issues unique to local schools. Partisanship will be nothing more than a distraction and hindrance to our focus on doing what is best for students.

For the full text of testimony that I recently submitted to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections on this issue, please visit http://www.kimballforschoolboard.org/news.html.

More 2015 Lawrence school board election coverage

• Candidate profiles and questionnaires