With days left to go, few have filed for Shawnee County school board races
With a June 1 filing deadline looming, several Shawnee County school board races still have only one candidate, or none at all.
Primary elections for specific races will only be held if four or more candidates file for the same seat. Those primaries would take place Tuesday, Aug. 1.
By state law, Kansas school board positions are unpaid, and candidates generally can't be employed by their district.
Deadline to file for election is noon Thursday, June 1. Shawnee County's 2023 general elections are Tuesday, Nov. 7.
The following candidates were listed as having filed at the end of the business day Friday.
Seaman Board of Education 2023 candidates
Four Seaman USD 345 school board positions are up for re-election.
Incumbents James Adams and Michelle Caudill are running unopposed for re-election to their Districts 1A and 2B seats, respectively.
Christy Weiler is also running unopposed for a second, at-large term.
Newcomer Dianna Brodine is the only candidate for District 3C. Incumbent Frank Henderson hasn't filed for re-election.
Silver Lake Board of Education 2023 candidates
Four at-large board positions are up for election in Silver Lake USD 372 this fall.
Incumbent Scott Mellen filed for re-election, and he will face Dan Klucas, Ian Reel, Lori Klein and Tannar Hinson as five candidates so far vying for the four at-large positions.
Jason Seele, who was appointed in the fall to fill in for Bridget Remer after her resignation, is also seeking election to the remainder of the unexpired term. Stan Circle has also filed for that race.
Auburn-Washburn Board of Education 2023 candidates
The Auburn-Washburn Board of Education has three regular seats and one at-large seat up for election this year.
Incumbent Jeremy Wiltz is the sole candidate for his District 1A race, as is at-large incumbent Tom Bruno.
In the District 3C race, newcomers Linessa Frazier and Richard Lewallen are taking on incumbent Brad Noller.
No candidates have filed to date for the District 2B position, currently held by Mathew Ewald.
Shawnee Heights Board of Education 2023 candidates
The Shawnee Heights Board of Education will have four seats up for election this fall.
Incumbents Lauren Tice Miller and Rocky Busenitz are the only candidates so far for their respective Districts 1A and 2B positions.
Newcomer Sarah Sanders is the only candidate for the District 3C position. Incumbent Eric Deitcher hasn't filed for reelection, and neither has at-large incumbent Jason Schulz. Kristy Van Metre and Michael Cichowicz are running for that seat.
Topeka Board of Education 2023 candidates
All four incumbents in Topeka Board of Education seats up for election this fall have filed.
Incumbent Lalo Muñoz is running against challenger Lana Kombacher for the District 1 Position 4 seat.
Board president Sue Bolley is currently unopposed in the District 2 Position 5 race, as is Melanie Stuart-Campbell in her District 3 Position 6 race.
At-large incumbent Richard Bonebrake, however, faces challenges from Antoine Collins and former board member John Williams, who lost a re-election bid in 2021.
Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at 785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka, Shawnee County school board election deadline is June 1
