photo by: Contributed

Markus Logan

As someone who grew up in Lawrence and attended its public schools, Markus Logan believes his perspective could be valuable in a leader for the school district.

Logan, 47, filed to run for the school board just before the deadline last week. He told the Journal-World on Wednesday that he chose to run because he wants that former-student perspective to be included in decision-making.

“People on boards and a lot of higher positions in the city may not really be tied to Lawrence as much as I might be as far as going through all of my schooling here,” he said.

If elected, he wants to continue the work that current and former school board members have done in regard to data-driven decision-making, as opposed to opinion-driven decision-making.

He also noted that the school board currently has diverse representation, and as a Black man he wants to continue that. After the board’s most recent election in 2019, the seven-member board was believed to include a majority of people of color for the first time, the Journal-World previously reported.

“I want to be part of the continued progression of what they’ve done,” he said of the board. “It’s starting to reflect what Lawrence is — a diverse community.”

Logan also has experience serving the community. He currently is on the City of Lawrence’s Human Relations Commission and is a member of the chamber of commerce’s Leadership Lawrence Advisory Board, among others.

Logan was born in Chicago but spent most of his childhood in Lawrence. After graduating from Lawrence High School in 1991, he moved away, but then returned in 2005, he said. He owns his own entertainment business, for which he works as a DJ, he said.

He is the father of two Free State High School alumni. His daughter graduated in 2017 and his son in 2018.

Logan is one of 12 candidates for the school board’s three open seats. Because of the number of candidates, a primary election is required. The primary will be Aug. 3, and the general election will be Nov. 2.