Lawrence school board members Marcel Harmon, left, and Vanessa Sanburn, right.

Longtime school board member Vanessa Sanburn and board president Marcel Harmon will not be seeking re-election this year, the two separately confirmed to the Journal-World Thursday.

Sanburn, who was first elected to the Lawrence school board in 2009, will serve the remainder of her term through January. In an interview with the Journal-World Thursday, Sanburn said several factors were behind her decision, including simply wanting to take a break from the demands of political life.

Vanessa Sanburn

“In the course of the time I’ve served on the board, I’ve had the opportunity to serve with a lot of committed and thoughtful and engaged people, and it’s time-consuming,” Sanburn, 36, said of the nonpaying office. “I do have a lot of professional endeavors that I would like to devote time to … and obviously I have a great family that I’d like to spend time with.”

Starting this fall, Sanburn will begin an adjunct teaching position at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, she said. After her term expires, Sanburn would also like to devote more time to “Let’s Talk,” the nonprofit she founded with Lawrence Memorial Hospital nurse Cori Green.

Through her organization, Sanburn, a social worker by trade, delivers comprehensive sexuality education to freshmen in the Lawrence district. Sanburn said she also provides a similar service to Tonganoxie schools and hopes to someday expand the program to other school districts and community agencies in the Lawrence area.

The goal of “Let’s Talk,” Sanburn said, has focused partly on implementing national sexuality education standards on a local level. It was also a goal that motivated Sanburn in her first run for the school board in 2009, she said.

“I do feel like I’ve accomplished a lot of what I set out to do,” Sanburn said, though she admits she’s “not exactly in reflective mode yet,” with seven months left on her term.

Still, Sanburn said she feels proud of the school board’s adoption in 2013 of the national sexuality education standards, which provide more comprehensive curriculum — more information about birth control, for example, as well as sexual orientation — compared with the standards approved by the Kansas Board of Education in 2006.

She’s also proud of the facilities improvements made since her arrival on the school board eight years ago. Since then, district voters have overwhelmingly approved two multimillion dollar bond issues: the $92.5 million renovations to elementary schools in 2013, and the recently passed $87 million bond issue meant to address Lawrence’s secondary schools.

“Obviously as a district we still have a lot of work to do. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made in terms of equity, but I recognize we’re not anywhere near the finish line,” Sanburn said, adding, “I also think bringing in some new voices to that discussion is a really positive thing. I’m really pleased that quite a few people have decided to run, and the ideas they’ll be able to bring.”

Marcel Harmon.

Harmon also confirmed via email Thursday that he would not seek re-election to the board once his term expires later this year. Harmon could not be reached for additional comment Thursday. However, he did share publicly via Facebook recently that he planned not to run for re-election. That post didn’t offer any specific reason behind his decision, but did urge residents to “step up” in filling the school board’s three open seats.

It’s not an easy job, Harmon said of serving on the board, but it’s an important one just the same.

“Watching the opening of a newly renovated school, and ultimately having the honor of participating in graduation ceremonies — watching the next generation of educated and engaged citizenry getting ready to take their place in the world — really do make it all worthwhile,” Harmon said.

Harmon was first appointed to the school board in 2014 after the resignation of Adina Morse. He then successfully ran for a two-year term on the board back in 2015, and served as president during the 2016-2017 school year.

After the noon filing deadline on Thursday, seven candidates had filed for the school board. They are James Alan Hollinger, Kelly Jones, Gretchen Lister, Ronald “G.R.” Gordon-Ross, Jill Hayhurst, Steve Wallace and Melissa Johnson, who is currently serving on the board through January 2018.

Johnson was appointed to the school board after the resignation of Kris Adair in February. Hers is one of three seats up for election this year, along with Sanburn’s and Harmon’s.

The general election is slated for Nov. 7.