Share this post or save for later
The post has been updated at 7:03 p.m., Tuesday, June 20:
The Lawrence School Board selected four candidates Tuesday to move forward in the process of filling a vacant board seat.
Advertising
The remaining six board members voted to select Robert (Bob) A. Byers, Rachel I. Thomas, Rebecca Gaston and Paul L. Cartar to interview at their next regular meeting. Learn more about them in this article.
One of the four will be selected to fill the vacancy left by Kay Emerson, who resigned on May 26.
Candidates not selected to advance include Daniel Buessinger, Ann Costello, Jenny Daly and Milton Scott. Costello is running for election to the board.
As part of the voting process, each board member on Tuesday was asked to select four names on a written ballot, which was distributed and then collected by the board clerk. The votes were then tallied and those with the highest number were announced.
Byers received all six votes from board president Shannon Kimball and board vice president Paula Vann, as well as board members Erica Hill, Carol Kadoo-Blackwood, GR Gordon-Ross and Kelly Jones; Thomas received four votes from Kimball, Vann, Hill and Jones; Gaston received four votes from Kimball, Vann, Hill and Jones; and Kartar received four votes from Kimball, Hill, Cadu-Blackwood and Gordon-Ross.
Before the vote, board members shared their personal “rubrics” they used to consider candidates, with most agreeing that they take into account their experience in public education and their vision for the district. Cadue-Blackwood said she looked more closely at “community connections” than experience. Vann added that she was looking for people with “missing and unique perspectives.”
Interviews are scheduled to take place during the board meeting on Monday, June 26, at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. The successful candidate will hold the board seat until the end of the term on January 12, 2026.
Upcoming primaries
Five additional school board seats will be on the Nov. 7 general election ballot, and there will be a primary election for one of those seats on Aug. 1. In addition to the Lawrence School Board, three Lawrence City Commission positions will also be on the ballot. Click here for the full list of candidates.
The deadline to register to vote to cast a ballot in the August 1 primary is Tuesday, July 11.
Early voting begins on Wednesday, July 12. Voters in Douglas County can check their voter registration, register to vote or request an advance vote by mail at KSVotes.org.
Candidates who make it through the primary will be placed on the ballot for the general election coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Check out the candidates for other local governments in Douglas County at this link. Learn more about voting in Douglas County at this link.
If our local journalism matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a single moment… Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Maya Hodison (she/her), a stock reporter, can be reached at mhodison (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more about her work for the Times here.See her staff bio here.
Latest Lawrence News:
Share this post or save for later
In a 2-2 tie, Lawrence city commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of an ordinance that would ban the use of single-use plastic bags within city limits.
August Rudisel/Lawrence Times
Share this post or save for later
After hearing from about 70 people Tuesday, Deputy Mayor Bart Littlejohn encouraged people to contact the city to discuss options for an ordinance to protect transgender and gender nonconforming people from Kansas’ anti-transgender law.
August Rudisel/Lawrence Times
Share this post or save for later
Public sector employees demonstrated Tuesday outside City Hall just before a Lawrence City Commission meeting, hoping to draw attention to what they say are long-ignored grievances.
Share this post or save for later
Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will consider approving permits for NextEra Energy Resources to conduct tests related to the West Gardner Solar project.
MORE ▼ …
