photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Lawrence school district offices building, located at 110 McDonald Dr., is pictured in May 2025.

All incumbent Lawrence school board members with open seats are seeking reelection, and two new candidates have joined the race — bringing the total number of candidates to seven.

Kelly Jones

School board president Kelly Jones filed for reelection on Monday morning. She was first elected to the board in 2017, and this is the third time she’s running.

Jones served on the board during the COVID-19 pandemic and said in a news release that now, as public education faces “federal-level attacks and increasingly complex state funding formulas,” it is important to advocate for well-resourced schools.

photo by: Contributed

Kelly Jones

“Our focus must remain on what matters most — ensuring every student has the opportunity for high-quality education,” Jones said in the release. “That includes expanding early childhood education; supporting competitive salaries and benefits, and work-life balance for our educators and staff; investing in our arts and athletics facilities; and developing thoughtful policies around generative AI that prioritize educational equity.”

In the future, Jones hopes to advance the district’s equity work and focus on policies that promote academic excellence, fiscal responsibility and inclusive school communities.

Jones attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an undergraduate. She also received a University of Kansas Master of Social Work degree with an emphasis on nonprofit administration and policy work. Currently, she works at the KU School of Social Welfare, where she’s an associate professor of practice and director of the Practicum Education Office.

Shannon Kimball

Longtime board member Shannon Kimball is also seeking another term. Kimball, who filed Monday, was first elected in 2011 and has previously served as board president. She said in a news release that she wants to continue serving students, staff and families of the school district.

photo by: Contributed

Shannon Kimball

Kimball also said in the release that public education is facing “ongoing upheaval at the state and federal levels” and that she will bring experienced leadership to help the district navigate these challenges and to ensure that the community’s values guide the board’s work.

“I have been a consistent and vocal advocate for strong public schools in Lawrence and elsewhere,” Kimball said in the release. “My commitment to public education as the foundation of our democracy–and my opposition to efforts to undermine public schools through vouchers and privatization–has been central to my board service over the past 14 years.”

She said her reelection campaign would focus on expanding student opportunities, supporting staff, improving communication with families and advocating for strong public schools.

Kimball’s professional background includes work as an attorney, governmental relations specialist and policy analyst focused on education law and policy.

Two other candidates also filed in recent weeks.

Molly Starr

Molly Starr said she first fell in love with Lawrence as a student at the University of Kansas. She, along with her family, moved back to the area three years ago.

photo by: Contributed

Molly Starr

“I am grateful for our experience here, and I would like to give back to the community in an active way by listening to and advocating for Lawrence families, teachers and educators at the school board level,” Starr said in an email to the Journal-World.

If elected, Starr would like to focus on improving communication between the school board and Lawrence residents. She said that parents and teachers can feel left out of conversations or unable to reach someone for help.

“Communication should meet people where they are, as those doing the work do not have time to weed through long emails or meetings to get the kernel of information they need,” Starr said in the email.

Starr has a background in health care architecture, and she currently works part-time as an architectural consultant and document designer. She also has a master’s degree in architecture from KU.

Pam Shaw

Pam Shaw, a pediatrician, said she decided to run for the Lawrence school board because of her background in science.

photo by: Contributed

Pam Shaw

“What is going on in public health has a lot to do with knowledge about science,” Shaw said. “And COVID-19 was a very good example of misinformation … We’re still dealing with this now, as we have a measles epidemic in our state.”

“I am a huge proponent of public school education,” said Shaw, who will have three grandchildren attending Lawrence schools. “I had a public school education. My husband’s family have all been administrators or educators as well, and I believe in the power of a good public education for everyone, and how it should be something that everyone has the opportunity to get.”

Shaw earned her medical degree from the KU School of Medicine and completed her residency at the KU Medical Center.

Three seats on the school board will be up for election. Jones, elected in 2021, will finish her current four-year term this year. In addition, the terms of board members Bob Byers, who was appointed in 2023 to fill a vacancy after Kay Emerson’s resignation, and Kimball, who was elected for a two-year term in 2023, are also set to end this year.

School board members GR Gordon-Ross, Anne Costello, Carole Cadue-Blackwood and Yolanda Franklin were each elected to four-year terms in 2023.

Byers, along with ChrisTopher Niles Enneking and Matt Lancaster are the other candidates who previously announced their candidacy.

The deadline to file was noon Monday. Because fewer than 10 candidates filed for the school board election, a primary will not be held. The general election will be Nov. 4.