Moderate candidates edged out their conservative opponents in the race for Wichita Board of Education on Tuesday, maintaining the ideological majority of the board that oversees the state’s largest district.
Melody McCray-Miller, a former teacher and Democratic state lawmaker, won the at-large seat with 53% of the vote, according to unofficial results. She defeated challenger Brent Davis, who owns a private tutoring business and had the support of the Sedgwick County Republican Party.
At a watch party at the United Teachers of Wichita office, McCray-Miller said voters believe in public schools and want them to succeed.
“They know that there are issues, and they want those issues to be solved,” she said. “And what I’m telling people is, we're the ones that are going to have to solve them. It’s not going to happen by itself. You’re going to have to come back and get really involved … even if you don’t have children in the district.”
McCray-Miller said she plans to advocate for community schools — an education reform strategy that pairs schools with local health centers, housing assistance and other services to address the overall needs of students and families.
In District 3 in southeast Wichita, Ngoc Vuong finished ahead of Ken Carpenter with 56% of the vote.
At 23, Vuong is one of the youngest people to be elected to the Wichita board. He graduated from Wichita South High School in 2018, where he served as student body president. He is pursuing his doctorate in community psychology at Wichita State University.
“It doesn’t matter how young you are, you can make a difference,” he said. “It does not matter who you are or what walk of life you are coming from, you have a say. You have a seat at the table.”
Vuong said his priorities as board member will be improving student achievement, addressing discipline issues and encouraging family and community engagement in schools.
Incumbent Stan Reeser, a medical supply and logistics clerk, won re-election. He defeated challenger Jason Carmichael 55% to 45% to keep the District 4 seat.
Though technically nonpartisan, the school board races once again shaped up along partisan lines. Carmichael, Carpenter and Davis campaigned as a slate endorsed by the Sedgwick County Republican Party.
Some campaign ads for McCray-Miller, Reeser and Vuong were paid for by the Kansas Values Institute, a Lawrence-based group, and the three candidates were endorsed by the local teachers union.
Wichita school board members serve four-year terms and receive no pay for twice-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.
The members elected Tuesday will take office Jan. 8.
