Leaders of the Wichita teachers union are facing backlash from some members over the group’s endorsements in this year’s school board races.
United Teachers of Wichita has decided not to endorse a candidate in two of the four Board of Education races — Districts 1 and 6 — opting instead to label all four candidates in those races as “public school friendly.”
That includes incumbents Diane Albert and Hazel Stabler, whom the union opposed in 2021, as well as their challengers, Mackenzie Truelove and Amy Warren.
Union president Katie Warren said Albert and Stabler have changed significantly since they joined the board as part of a conservative wave of candidates who focused on mask mandates, critical race theory and other culture war issues.
“We feel they came in and saw how difficult and complex this work is, and that they’ve made an effort to engage with all stakeholders, whether they agree politically or not,” Warren said.
She said Albert and Stabler consistently respond to union concerns and that their votes on key issues, like supporting a proposed $450 million bond issue, reflect support for educators.
“Both of them supported the school bond, even when it meant going against the Republican Party chairperson,” Warren said. “That showed a commitment to students and schools over politics.”
United Teachers of Wichita is endorsing District 2 incumbent Julie Hedrick in her race against conservative Brent Davis and former teacher Valerie Most.
In District 5, the union has endorsed retired teacher Amy Jensen over incumbent Kathy Bond.
Elizabeth Vest, a teacher and union member, recently launched an effort on social media to oppose UTW’s decision to label Albert and Stabler as friendly to educators.
Vest, who teaches at Pleasant Valley Middle School, pointed to the board members’ first meeting in January 2022, when Albert, Bond and Stabler made national news after they refused to wear face masks. At the time, the Wichita district had a policy requiring face masks inside district buildings.
“I think UTW is operating under the assumption that people have forgotten about 2021 and 2022, when they were running, which is not true. People are still upset about that,” Vest said.
She said Albert’s responses to this year’s UTW questionnaire also reflect support for school vouchers and merit-based pay for teachers — stances that teachers unions typically oppose.
“UTW posted on their own Facebook page (in 2021) that Stabler, Albert and Bond were all harmful because of their political ideology that’s divisive, and she has not changed,” Vest said. “Her beliefs are the same, we’re just no longer in a pandemic.”
During their first terms, Albert and Stabler voted frequently with the board majority, including motions to raise the superintendent’s salary, to close six schools and to approve a long-term facility master plan that laid the groundwork for a proposed bond issue.
As board president, Albert also instituted public workshops ahead of the board’s regular meetings, where members can ask questions about items on the agenda. This ended a decades-long practice of so-called “three-by-three” meetings, during which board members met with district leaders privately.
Vest, the Pleasant Valley teacher, said she and a number of other teachers plan to withdraw from the union if leaders follow through with their plan to label Albert and Stabler as educator friendly.
“They know that she usually votes in alignment with them,” Vest said. “But they don’t know what that’s going to look like if there’s a conservative majority.”
Albert defended her track record during her first term, emphasizing monthly meetings with union leadership and a focus on student achievement.
She criticized opponents for misinterpreting her stance on issues like vouchers and merit pay, which she said are state-level decisions.
“I think there were a lot of misconceptions about what I was going to do and what I was going to focus on, and some people are clearly still committed to believing those misconceptions,” Albert said.
“My take is, we need to focus on the basics and educate students. … I’ve remained committed to stay focused on student achievement, and I've got the track record to prove it.”
Stabler, the District 6 incumbent, said she’s honored to receive UTW’s “educator-friendly” label because she has worked hard to build relationships with teachers and the community.
“I think it is quite insulting that (opponents) would not look at my record as a board member and try to make that first meeting an issue,” Stabler said.
She said her votes show that she advocates for students and teachers despite political pressures.
“I took a lot of flak for supporting the bond issue, but I believe that it’s the right thing to do,” she said.
“When you’re a candidate or you’re somebody outside looking in, you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. I have changed a lot of my opinions about the district and how the school board should run.”
Wichita school board members serve four-year terms. They oversee a budget of more than $1 billion and set policy for the state’s largest school district, with about 46,500 students.
The general election is Nov. 4.
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KMUW, KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
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