A former teacher and the owner of a test preparation business will square off in the November general election for the at-large seat on the Wichita school board.
Melody McCray-Miller and Brent Davis were the top vote-getters in a five-candidate primary Tuesday.
McCray-Miller — a former teacher, Democratic state legislator and Sedgwick County Commissioner — garnered 54% of the vote, according to unofficial results. Davis, owner of Complete Education, finished second with 24%.
Two years ago, Davis ran unsuccessfully for the District 2 seat on the Wichita board. He was part of a slate of conservative challengers that fell just shy of securing a conservative majority.
Tuesday’s primary included three other candidates: Republicans Jacob Bakk and Harlan Bascombe, and Jesse Borosky, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at Wichita State University.
McCray-Miller said her priorities would be improving student achievement and behavior. She said she also values equity and wants to be a voice for children and families of color in Wichita schools.
"There is work to do, and I want to build a groundswell of people coming back into our district, making our children feel not only safe, but good about themselves," she told a crowd of supporters at Sky Lounge in Delano.
"Knowing that they are valued, that we care. Because all children are valued. They're all ours, and we need to treat them that way."
Davis has not responded to media requests during the primary campaign. He did not answer calls or emails Tuesday.
He posted on his campaign Facebook page last week that he had received an endorsement from the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life.
The at-large position is currently held by school board president Sheril Logan, who did not run for re-election.
Wichita school board members serve four-year terms and receive no pay for monthly meetings and other work. They oversee a budget of about $1 billion and set policy for the state’s largest school district, with about 47,000 students.
Two more board seats are up for election in November — Districts 3 and 4 in south Wichita. They did not have enough candidates to require a primary.
Members elected in November will take office on Jan. 8, 2024.
