School board candidates discuss backgrounds and views

By Madden Rausch

BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. — The school board plays a meaningful role in setting the tone for the district. In this election, the Bonner Springs–Edwardsville School District 204 has three open spots and four candidates running. Seeking re-election are incumbents Kim Beets and Ashley Razak, while challengers Bonnie Mejean and John McCaughrean are vying for seats.

The following are summaries from interviews conducted with each candidate.

Ashley Razak

Background:
Ashley Razak has served on the Bonner Springs–Edwardsville school board for six years. She is a communications coordinator for the Basehor-Linwood School District. Razak said she is running for re-election because she feels fortunate to have the opportunity to make decisions for USD 204.

Interview:
Razak said she values teamwork and collaboration to reach the best possible solutions. She discussed her experience attending Basehor-Linwood board meetings and her regular participation in Kansas Association of School Boards training in Topeka.

Razak said she trusts experts in their fields — district administrators and financial professionals for budgets, and teachers for curriculum decisions. She praised the positive school culture in Bonner Springs–Edwardsville and said she hopes to continue fostering student participation and a culture of compassion and caring.

She said she believes in balancing technology use in classrooms and encourages the responsible use of artificial intelligence. One of her goals is to meet teachers’ needs and retain quality educators. She plans to keep the community informed through Thrillshare and social media.

A challenge, Razak said, is retaining quality teachers.

“There’s just not a lot of teachers graduating from colleges in recent years,” Razak said. “That’s not a very attractive position. It’s very hard — you deal with students all day, but then you also have to abide by strict guidelines in every other aspect of your job. So being a teacher is very hard. The pay is not great. It takes a special person. And as you can see, we’ve found a lot of very special staff members who genuinely care about our students, but that’s going to be our biggest issue in the coming years.”

Razak said her greatest goal is to maintain and grow the culture in Bonner Springs–Edwardsville School District.

Kim Beets

Background:
Kim Beets has served on the Bonner Springs–Edwardsville school board for 10 years and is currently the research manager and corporate librarian at a global engineering firm based in Kansas City. She said she is running for re-election because she is passionate about education and believes the district has a strong school community that she wants to continue supporting. Beets also has human resources and budgeting experience from her time on the public library board.

Interview:
Beets believes the board should function as a positive, high-performing group that works together to make decisions in the best interest of students. She trusts educators on curriculum choices and supports adding diverse and balanced materials.

She said she takes a student-first approach to funding and praised the implementation of initiatives such as the Braves Space, student resource officers, and the partnership with PACES. Beets said she supports maintaining a healthy balance of technology use and values the district’s partnership with the University of Kansas to promote responsible AI use.

She advocates for competitive teacher pay and continued professional development, and she supports open communication among teachers, administrators and students.

A major challenge, Beets said, is enrollment.

“Our biggest challenge is the enrollment — making sure we can support the students because we have great things, and the last thing I want to do is cut something that is going to impact our students,” she said.

Beets said her goal is to expand early childhood programs, such as Head Start, and ensure students are ready for life after graduation.

Bonnie Mejean

Background:
Bonnie Mejean is running for the third open seat on the Bonner Springs–Edwardsville school board after encouragement from her peers. She has been a teacher for 13 years in the Shawnee Mission South School District and said her classroom experience gives her valuable insight into board decisions. Mejean also has experience as a youth pastor.

Interview:
Mejean said she values compromise and collaboration to find solutions that work for everyone. On budget issues, she said she supports reviewing inactive programs to determine if funding should continue or be redirected toward teacher raises.

Regarding curriculum, she said she trusts teachers to make professional decisions about what is introduced in class. Mejean said she supports the district’s visitor ID system to promote safety and appreciates initiatives such as the Braves Space.

She also said she believes students learn best through traditional methods.

“All credible research that I have found suggests that the best learning is from when we write things by hand,” Mejean said. “When we are reading things on paper, we are much deeper and more careful readers than when we read them on a screen.”

Mejean said she still supports technology use in classes where it enhances learning, such as technology courses. She said she wants to increase student feedback through committees and hear more from students who may not typically speak up.

Her five-year goal, Mejean said, is to reduce phone use in school. She said she’d like to “visit the school and see kids talking, picking up a book during downtime, and feeling healthier and happier.”

John McCaughrean

Background:
John McCaughrean is running for the school board after encouragement from his peers. He served in the U.S. Army from 2005 to 2015, deploying to several countries including Iraq. McCaughrean has a master’s degree in business administration from Penn State University and has three children in the district.

Interview:
McCaughrean said he believes the recent budget cuts did not go far enough, making him the only candidate to question them. He also emphasized his belief that the United States is a constitutional republic rather than a democracy and said civics education should reflect that.

He said his vision for education centers on teaching the basics — reading and writing — while emphasizing civics. McCaughrean said his military experience taught him the importance of student well-being, safety, teamwork and unity.

On technology, he said USD 204 should lead in innovation.

“We’re here for students,” McCaughrean said. “That way, you guys can become assets to the next generation of society. Because what we used to say in the Army is, when you become a sergeant, guess what? You’re either gonna get promoted, or you’re gonna leave the military and somebody’s gonna take your spot. So you guys are the next generation. You guys are the next teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers — maybe the next president of the United States, or maybe even governor of Kansas or a state Supreme Court justice.”

McCaughrean said he supports AI use in classrooms, with an emphasis on protecting minors’ rights and preventing misuse. He also said teachers should receive better pay, suggesting doubling cost-of-living adjustments.

He said he believes USD 204 should strive to “be better than Blue Valley” and become a “hidden gem” of Wyandotte County through community values and hard work. McCaughrean said he supports compromise over conflict and wants to avoid tax increases.

He is also a strong advocate for blue-collar education, including HVAC and other vocational programs. His five-year goal is to put USD 204 “on the map” as one of the top districts in the country.

Candidate links:
https://www.johnforbonner.com/
https://candidates.goodparty.org/bonnie-mejean