Auburn-Washburn school board candidates see lingering COVID effects as challenge for district

Elections for the Auburn-Washburn Board of Education this year include three district-based positions and one at-large seat.

In the District A Position 1 and District B Position 2 elections, incumbents Jeremy Wiltz and Matt Ewald, respectively, are running unopposed.

The District C Position 3 election features challengers Linessa Frazier and Richard Lewallen taking on incumbent Brad Noller.

USD 437's at-large position election has incumbent Tom Bruno running against Z. Vincent Mulegwa.

Wiltz, Frazier and Mulegwa didn't respond to The Capital-Journal’s candidate questionnaire.

Advance voting by mail begins Wednesday. In-person advance voting starts Monday, Oct. 23, between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Shawnee County Elections Office.

Polls open 7 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, and close 7 p.m. Mail ballots must be received at election office or polling places by 7 p.m.

Read guides on the Topeka USD 501, Seaman USD 345 and Silver Lake USD 372 candidates online.

Responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.

Introduce yourself and any relevant qualifications that would inform you as a potential member of the school board.

Brad Noller: I am a father of three students in Auburn-Washburn USD 437 and have been involved in PTO, Pancake feeds and other activities at Indian Hills Elementary as a parent and have volunteered as an Auburn-Washburn Public Schools Foundation board member for the past four years and served as president last school year. This district has been great to meet the academic and extracurricular needs for our family.

Matt Ewald: Current Auburn-Washburn USD 437 Board of Education member with two children currently in the district

Richard Lewallen: I am a former Topeka educator and currently work as an adjunct professor at a Kansas college while also working full time for the state of Kansas as a program manager. My education includes a master’s in security administration and a bachelor’s in security management, both from Southwestern College. I moved to Topeka and Auburn-Washburn USD 437 ten years ago upon retirement from the US Marine Corps after serving 30 years of active service. I have been married to the same wonderful woman for over 37 years and we have one adult son.

Tom Bruno: I attended school in the district and graduated from Washburn Rural High School in 1986. I went to Wanamaker Grade School, Auburn Middle School and Jay Shideler Junior High. I have two daughters who graduated from WRHS and one that will be graduating. I am a current Auburn-Washburn Board of Education member.

What motivated you to run for school board, and what difference do you think you could uniquely make?

Noller: I think this is a very important time for our school district after passing bond improvements. We need members that have students in the district and will put our student and staff needs first but being good stewards of our finances for the taxpayers we represent. I believe my involvement in the school and years of small business ownership make me the most qualified for this position.

Ewald: Currently finishing first term as a board member.

Lewallen: Though I have also found USD 437 to be an exceptional school district, I feel that quality education and safe learning environment are not always the priority. I am motivated by the desire to keep our public education system focused on providing a challenging education while keeping our kids safe which prepares them to be productive adults. I am uniquely qualified because I have the educational background and security expertise to properly represent my neighbors on the school board. Since I no longer have children attending school, I will have the time and unbiased focus on quality education.

Bruno: I wanted to do something for the school district that made such a difference for me. I have served on numerous committees, including the standing committees on strategic planning and negotiations. I was on the committees that began the process of doing a building assessment on our facilities, which led to patron input on what parents and patrons what our district to look like in the future. I also served on the committee to help determine what the boundaries for our middle schools will be since we are currently building a new middle school as approved by voters.

What is one way schools in your district are exceling, and what steps would you take to further those efforts?

Noller: Our district really excels in preparing our students for life after graduation. Our district works closely with students for scholarships for college and provides an outstanding trade experience through our CTE program for those that enter the workforce after graduation. Our expansion at WRHS will further these opportunities for our students.

Ewald: Auburn-Washburn has done a great job offering a wide range of academic opportunities for our students. With the current bond project, we are able to continue this success across elementary, middle and high school students as we look to open the second middle school in the next couple years, launch a much improved CTE Center at the high school, and enhance our capabilities with early childhood development so students are entering our district with the best opportunities for academic success.

Lewallen: USD 437 has an exceptional Advanced Placement program, allowing students the flexibility to complete college level courses while completing high school. I would foster ways to offer AP classes to even more students, so even those students that may not be interested or at that level yet can see how beneficial the courses can be.

Bruno: We have high academic standards and the district continues to expect the continual improvements in that area. We have maintained our broad offerings for students to get an excellent education that prepares them for life after high school, whether that is a four-year college, technical program, the military or the workforce. One area that was identified as an area that we needed to improve on our facilities to support our Career Technical Education, and we are currently building a CTE center at WRHS after the voters approved a bond referendum.

Where are schools in your district falling short, and what solutions would you bring to the table?

Noller: We have limited early education programs because of space in our grade schools but are working to better meet these needs with the bond improvements and will provide a better experience for our 6th graders when we bring in a second middle school in 2025. This will provide a much better learning experience for our middle schoolers and give more extracurricular opportunities for athletic and academic competitions.

Ewald: Overall, Auburn-Washburn is doing great things at all ages, but we need to continue to address safety/security within our buildings. Academic performance is a cornerstone of Auburn Washburn and we need to continue to ensure that our students are given all possible opportunities to continue to excel and make a difference in our community once they graduate from USD 437.

Lewallen: Our district prides itself on providing the best public education in the area, and many families move to the district so their children can take advantage of this level of education. The problem is we struggle to maintain the necessary educators in the classrooms. If we are going to provide the best education, then that can only be done if we have the best educators who are compensated for the level of education they provide. Recruiting and retaining educators will be a top priority.

Bruno: Some of our schools do not have spaces that support students in ways our parents expect. For example, we currently have the largest middle school in the state of Kansas. Voters approved a bond that has allowed the building of another middle school which creates more space across all elementary schools. The elementary schools are currently K-6 and will change to K-5, with sixth grade moving to the middle schools, opening up spaces in each elementary while also "right-sizing" our middle school numbers.

What is the biggest issue facing the school district?

Noller: Keeping up with the needs of students while balancing the budget with rising costs of doing business with the inflation from recent years. We have to be creative to provide a top-notch learning experience, while proving competitive pay and benefits to attract and retain the best teachers and staff members in the area.

Ewald: Making sure our students who began their elementary journey during COVID are meeting and exceeding the academic standards by ensuring our administration, teachers and staff have the resources necessary to give all kids the opportunity to excel in their academic performance.

Lewallen: Schools are still trying to get our children reintegrated into a classroom environment and filling the educational gap that was created by the pandemic. As a representative of my neighborhood, I must provide their voice on the board as to how our school administration can assist in getting our kids back to where they need to be and keeping this type of thing from happening again, by adapting a hybrid learning environment so the students never feel detached from the same learning environment.

Bruno: It is not unique to our district, but one of the biggest issues we face is staffing in a number of positions. We are always looking for additional teachers, especially in hard-to-fill areas, like special education, science and math. We also need more classified staff, especially bus drivers and para-educators. The school board continues to look at approaches to recruit and retain employees in those hard-to-fill positions. This is a continuous process but our human resources office has been recognized by national organizations as providing excellent hiring process experience and being a top employer in the state of Kansas.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Auburn-Washburn USD 437 candidates see WRHS as bright spot for district