photo by: Journal-World

Lawrence Public Schools district offices pictured in April 2021.

Updated at 3:50 p.m. Friday

The Lawrence school board will soon review the applications of 13 people hoping to fill a recently vacated seat on the school district’s governing board.

As part of its meeting Monday, the board will receive the applications and vote on four individuals to proceed to an interview process. The interviews will take place during a special board meeting on Aug. 29.

School district spokesperson Julie Boyle said the board had received 13 applications and would review them in open session during the meeting on Monday.

Applicants answered 10 questions with a maximum 300-word response, including why they want to serve on the board, the challenges they see facing the district and what they see as the role of the board in budgeting. Below is a list of the 13 applicants along with their response about why they want to serve on the board, which also asked applicants to include relevant experience or expertise. The full applications are available as part of the board’s agenda materials.

Kimberly Beets: “I have been primarily engaged in the higher education community for the past ten years, but my life and our society at large has taken a trajectory that inspires passion for the K-12 system. I am in the final stage of my PhD in Social and Cultural Studies in Education, currently writing a quantitative dissertation using nationwide census data regarding educational attainment. I worked for the School of Education at KU for five years with current and future educators, and learned about the KSDE requirements for schools and educators, so I am familiar with the infrastructure we must conform to and abide by to meet state standards, while also deeply understanding the obstacles we face as a community to meet the standards of the teachers and children/families in Lawrence. I would like to serve on the board because I have a unique mix of experiences within and outside of the educational system, and because I am a parent in the school district. I want to contribute my knowledge and experience to helping children in the community while being supportive of our district’s teachers and staff.”

Trevor J. Bollinger: “I have a strong desire to benefit the community I live in. Despite only living in Lawrence for two years, it has become home for myself and my growing family. I want to play a part ensuring the children in Lawrence have access to the best educational opportunities possible. To do so, I believe the teachers in Lawrence public schools need a strong board of education capable of taking on difficult budgetary requirements in a manner that maintains the confidence and support of those teachers. Currently, Lawrence is not especially competitive insofar as pay and benefits compared to surrounding schools. I believe finding ways with the current budget to allocate resources to maintain teacher happiness will in turn create a better educational environment for the students through better retention and overall more satisfied teachers. My expertise that I can provide in these efforts are predominantly critical thinking and deep analytical skills derived from my legal education as a student at KU Law. Outside my legal education, I have held positions in various financial institutions as an insurance agent, underwriter, and business analyst.”

Anne Costello: “Learning is a life-long endeavor and schools play such a huge role in that. I have a long-held passion for learning. One of my degrees is in middle-secondary social studies education. I stumbled into my current career as a buyer after graduation. Despite a love of teaching, I cannot afford the pay cut it would require to start teaching. My current job has provided me with bountiful experience in managing a budget and balancing competing priorities, two things that will be helpful to me as a member of the board.

My first experience with a school board came in high school, when the Olathe schools were looking to ban a book. As I attended meetings in opposition to the ban, I was exposed to the role of the board in student’s education. I remember wondering at the time if the board ever spoke with students to understand their perspective. It was then that I first thought about running for school board at some point. After watching the budget issue play out over the last year, my desire to run for school board was solidified. I have 2 children in the district as well as a husband that works for the district, so the success of the district is very personal to me. I want to ensure that the children of Lawrence receive the best education possible. As a college town, we should value education highly and I want to be a part of making that happen. That and some encouragement from friends led me to apply.”

Alicia Erickson: “Service on a board of education is an important way I can work toward the betterment of our students, staff, and community. I have the passion and perspective to serve in a way that listens to all various points of view.
 The USD497 board has many effective policies and procedures and works hard to engage with various voices. I believe there is room for improvement in engagement with district staff. I also think we can do more to seek out more diverse voices. This would strengthen the district’s connection with the community and build trust with staff. I have worked with people of differing perspectives and passionate beliefs, both through Save our Schools 497 and through my professional work experiences. My time with SOS497 has refined my ability to listen to different perspectives and work toward ensuring all people feel seen and heard regardless of our perspectives about a given situation. I have heard concerns from staff and community members to understand better people’s lived experiences from many diverse situations. 
I served as the board president at Ten Thousand Villages for four years. Maintaining a respectful and effective relationship between the board and manager while supporting the voices of the employees and volunteers directly relates to serving on the USD497 board.
 I believe board members need a detailed understanding of budgetary policies and limitations. I have attended as many BPEC and boundary meetings as possible and worked with experts in the community to expand my understanding of the district’s current budgetary needs. I worked as a branch manager for a local bank for years and have experience in communicating complex budget issues with customers simply and effectively. I worked at KU on grant management — spending most of my time understanding, adjusting, and presenting budget projections and reconciling actual expenses.”

Ronald “GR” Gordon-Ross: “Public education has always been very important to me. My mom set an example for me of serving on a school Board when I was younger, and it was always a goal of mine to do the same. There is a lot of work to do within USD497. During my time on the Board a lot of good work was accomplished. We laid the foundation for a student-centered approach to the work with the Strategic Plan that was created. But there remains work to do. That work required an understanding of that student-centered, equity lens that started it – as well as a broad vision of all the areas impacted by the Board’s decisions. I have both recent and current experience with the issues the Board is facing and will be able to step in immediately and help move forward in accomplishing the district’s strategic goals.”

Amy McVey: “Both of my children attended Lawrence Public Schools (one will be a senior at Free State High School this year). I appreciate this community; and now that my children are older, I want to give back. I also do a lot of facility upgrade work for other school districts and counties, and I believe my contribution in the areas of procurement and mechanical system knowledge/green energy could be beneficial to ensuring Lawrence Public Schools enjoys excellence from their construction vendors.”

Clint Ramirez Stephens: “The upcoming years will be a new chapter for USD 497 in post-pandemic education. My experience and expertise are highly relevant to the challenges ahead. Credentials: – Ph.D. in Education, focusing on quantitative analytics – Research expertise in how educational organizations thrive after budget cuts – 11 years of teaching in higher education – Curriculum development and assessment in leadership education of youth – Experience serving on community and non-profit boards prior to joining the Lawrence community”

Phil Riedel: I feel being on the USD 497 School Board is a way to serve and give back to the community, parents and most importantly the students. I am retired, have the time and I know serving on a school board is one of the most important duties in the community. I was a career Educator. I was a teacher, coach, sponsor and administrator during my Educational Career. I feel my experience as a parent, teacher, coach and building administrator would serve me well as a school board member.”

Jeannette Lynn Smith: “In my previous life I was the Executive Director for an Alzheimers Community. At that time I needed to be an advocate for those who could not advocate for themselves. I now am a foster parent for intensive level children and have the awesome responsibility of helping them navigate a dysfunctional system while trying to get them educated and create as normal of a life as possible. We also help them create a life they want going forward.”

Heather Sprague: “I have worked in state politics for many years, and have closely observed the education committees and policies. I have a great depth of knowledge about the state’s education system, funding, and am an advocate for schools in my work. I have always wanted to participate more locally, and I care very much about Lawrence schools and my daughter, and all of our children’s, education. I believe I could bring a fresh voice and ideas to the table along with my expertise in education policy.”

Justin Thomas: “As I mentioned in my previous answer I’ve been very familiar with USD 497 over the years I’ve lived in Lawrence thanks to my wife’s former employment with the school district as well as my own direct connection to the school district when staffing paraeducator & other temporary administrative positions with Express Employment. I believe my organizational skills, creativity, education, & keen eye for details will all serve me very effectively in this role.

But I want to serve on the board because like no time that I’ve ever witnessed in public education – we are experiencing monumental challenges. Dealing with all the chaos wrought by the pandemic, all of the inevitable fallout that came from dealing with that same chaos, huge educational setbacks on the timelines for students (especially for at-risk and marginalized groups), major staffing & retention issues, & of course, navigating the precarious financial situation USD 497 currently finds itself in. I want to serve because I work best in times of need & crisis. I work with extreme diligence and I am driven by my passion to work in service of others. USD 497 needs someone who can help navigate these troublesome times, and I am positive I can be that someone.”

Travis Tozer: “I’ve wanted to serve on the board since 2020 and wanted to serve my community since I was 10. I think almost any person of at least moderate intelligence with a strong conscience is inevitably drawn to public service. And public education has always been essential to building well rounded adults and positive individual outcomes. In that vein, I can think of no better use for my time than to do my part for the Lawrence school district. This is why I ran for the board in 2021.”

Lindsay (Lou) Wilson: “I have children in the district, which keeps me invested in the schools. I helped organize during the Save Our Schools rallies. I do not have previous experience but no one does when they start out, I would like an opportunity to get my foot in and help keep my community and the schools positive and safe for my children and others.”

School board member Andrew Nussbaum resigned his position, effective immediately, on July 18. The person the board selects will fill the seat until a special election takes place in November 2023.

The Lawrence school board will convene at 5:15 p.m. for a study session, with its regular meeting beginning at 6 p.m. The board meets at district offices, 110 McDonald Drive.