Amy Knows...

...that if the administration successfully closes the Department of Education, the responisiblity for ensuring equitable, high-quality education for Wichita kids would fall even more heavily on our local and state systems. It will be imperative for our USD 259 Board of Education members to possess direct experience and background in education. Without the guidance, oversight, and resources of the Department of Education, local leaders must be equipped with practical knowledge, pedagogical understanding, and systemic insight to make informed decisions that directly impact students, educators, and the Wichita community. Educational expertise ensures that policy decisions are grounded in the realities of classroom practice, student development, and instructional equity. It allows BOE members to evaluate curriculum, support teacher development, allocate resources effectively, and respond to the needs of all learners.

Leadership without educational expertise risks reducing schooling to bureaucratic management, rather than advancing it as a human-centered, justice-driven common good. To safeguard the quality, accessibility, and equity of education in a decentralized system without a Department of Education, we must ensure that those guiding our local schools understand them from the inside out. Amy is that candidate.