For the past few years, the Gardner Edgerton school board has grappled with tension over politically charged issues such as public health measures and how to treat transgender students.
That doesn’t seem to have changed with the latest crop of board candidates.
Prospective school board members disagree on how much to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whether the district should be less strict about state-required vaccines and how teachers should handle using students’ preferred names and pronouns.
On Nov. 4, eight candidates will appear on the ballot for four open seats on the USD 231 board. The district covers Gardner, Edgerton, parts of Johnson County and a small part of Miami County.
Julie Aldridge, Matthew Harlow and Melissa Hershey — who would be newcomers to the role — are competing for a two-year term in the Member 1 position. Because the position was previously filled by an appointee, it is coming up for election earlier than normal and for a shorter term.
The other candidates are seeking full four-year terms. For the Member 4 spot, incumbent Lana Sutton faces challenger Sam Dominguez. Incumbent Thomas Reddin is running unopposed for the Member 5 spot. And incumbent Greg Chapman faces challenger Keith Davenport for the Member 6 spot.
Davenport told The Beacon he’s still campaigning, even though he previously announced he was suspending his campaign because he was in the process of purchasing a new home within the district, but outside of the correct area for his seat.
“I am still seeking votes. If I win the election, I will remove the incumbent from office,” he wrote. “There is some question on whether or not I will be allowed to serve.”
Harlow, Hershey and Reddin declined to respond to the questionnaire.
The other five candidates answered questions about their positions on various issues and the top challenges facing the district.
Here’s what they had to say. Responses have been edited for grammar, clarity and AP style.
Click on a link to jump to a section of the questionnaire:
- School spending
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in schools
- Teacher pay
- Vaccination policies
- Transgender students
- Technology in school
- What are the three biggest challenges that your school district is facing?
- Name up to three specific things you would do on the board to address the most important issues facing the district.
Meet the candidates
Member 1 (two-year term)
Julie Aldridge
Occupation: Substitute teacher, Olathe schools
Background and qualifications: Master’s degree in special education
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576765383163
Favorite school event: Special Olympics, pep assemblies, school plays/musicals, sports
Matthew Harlow
Harlow told The Beacon he had decided not to complete the questionnaire.
The Beacon could not find an active campaign website or social media page and Harlow did not provide one when asked for a link to more information about himself. In an email, Harlow said his top priorities are “improving academic outcomes, establishing transparency and communication (and) focusing on students, not politics.” He said academic achievement has declined in the district and that it’s the responsibility of the school board to set priorities and policies to address the issue.
Harlow said he has five children, including three district graduates and two current high school students. He has a law degree from the University of Kansas and has practiced intellectual property law for more than 20 years. He has experience working with young people such as volunteering at local schools, coaching little league and high school robotics, leading scouting and teaching youth at church.
He and Hershey, one of his opponents for the Member 1 seat, are included on the Johnson County Republican Party’s 2025 Candidates webpage.
Melissa Hershey
In response to a reminder about the questionnaire, Hershey told The Beacon she was “not interested in filling it out.”
Her campaign Facebook page says she works as a nurse and paraprofessional for a student with medical and special needs in another school district. Hershey said she has experience working at Menorah Medical Center, where she was chair of the Nursing Coordinating Council within the National Nurses United union, and as chairwoman of the Gardner Edgerton Republican Party. She also served two terms as precinct councilwoman.
Hershey wrote that she is “committed to ensuring that special education remains a priority,” respects diverse perspectives and has a high opinion of local schools. She has lived in Gardner for 15 years and has two children. Her Facebook intro reads: “I’m running for school board to bring my leadership as a nurse and sped (special education) para to the community — advocating for students and families, ensuring transparency, and supporting strong schools.”
Hershey and Harlow, one of her opponents for the Member 1 seat, are included on the Johnson County Republican Party’s 2025 Candidates webpage. She is endorsed by the Kansans for Life Political Action Committee.
Member 4
Lana Sutton (incumbent)
Occupation: Manager of administration and executive events, Commerce Bank
Background and qualifications: I currently serve on the USD 231 school board and am running for my third term.
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/lanasuttonforschoolboard/
Favorite school event: I always enjoy convocation. It’s great to see all of the teachers in one place.
Sam Dominguez
Occupation: Data analyst
Background and qualifications: PTA treasurer at local elementary school. Advocate for domestic violence survivors. Advocate for gun sense laws. Mother of two. Multicultural background. Bachelor of science in cellular and molecular biology and minor in anthropology — first-generation graduate.
Campaign website: Sam4usd231.com
Favorite school event: Community-centered events, like family nights!
Member 5
Thomas Reddin (incumbent)
Reddin declined to respond to the questionnaire. He said he had limited free time and hadn’t been campaigning as intensely because he is running unopposed.
Reddin is the current board president, according to the school district website. He is included on the Johnson County Republican Party’s 2025 Candidates webpage.
Reddin was part of a wave of conservative members who were voted onto the board in 2021, leading to the superintendent’s departure before the new board majority could fire her. As candidates, they had been particularly critical of her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2022, Reddin was one of five members to support a transgender student policy that requires trans students to play on sports teams and use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender assigned at birth. The policy does allow them to use preferred names and pronouns under certain circumstances.
Earlier this year, Reddin called it “shameful and unacceptable” for students or staff to be attacked for their beliefs after a parent took photos of pro-LGBTQ signage in a teacher’s classroom and sent it to Libs of TikTok, a popular social media account that inspired threats and harassment toward the teacher. The parent was banned from the district until a judge intervened.
Member 6
Greg Chapman (incumbent)
Occupation: Manufacturing
Background and qualifications: I have served as a Board of Education member for eight years. My beautiful wife has been a teacher for over 12 years and is currently a certified librarian in a neighboring district. I graduated from Gardner Edgerton High School as did my three children. We love this community and USD 231.
Favorite school event: My favorite event is the wax museums at the elementary schools. Followed by the plays at the high school.
Keith Davenport
Occupation: Entrepreneur — Groundhouse Coffee and The 030
Background and qualifications: I worked for six years in student development at Johnson County Community College and for two years at Johnson County Mental Health Center. I earned my master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Missouri.
Social media: LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/keithmdavenport/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithForKansas
Favorite school event: I love going on field trips with my kids’ classes.
Multiple-choice questions
School spending
In my district…
- We’re spending too little on schools, at the expense of students.
- We’re spending too much on schools, at the expense of taxpayers.
- We’ve struck the right balance on taxes and school spending.
Dominguez: We need to emphasize more funding toward our instructors and their development in order to attract the highest level of education and educational opportunities we can for our students.
Chapman: The taxpayers are burdened enough. Now we need to work to utilize our funding as fiscally responsibly as possible. Special education funding does need to be increased from the state, especially in our district.
Davenport: The state Legislature has been shorting USD 231 approximately $6 million per year in special education funding. They haven’t fully funded special education since 2011, so USD 231 has to take millions from the budget to compensate.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activity in schools
If Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials show up at a school, my district should…
- Cooperate as much as possible without getting into legal trouble.
- Cooperate as little as possible without getting into legal trouble.
- Other (please explain)
Aldridge: ICE must follow district policies.
Dominguez: ICE does not belong in safe spaces like school. The role of the Board of Education and admin staff is to create safe and inclusive environments where our children can flourish.
Chapman: We met with ICE and they explained that this scenario would never happen. The understanding is that any action would be dealt with like any other law enforcement inquiry.
Davenport: USD 231 is funded by local tax dollars. Federal dollars should be used to enforce federal policies and local tax dollars for local issues. When feds usurp local control it steals those resources from our children and our community.
Teacher pay
Teachers in my district…
- Need a significant pay raise.
- Are paid too much already.
- Are making about the right amount.
Aldridge: Teachers are among the lowest paid professionals. They/we are educating our future.
Sutton: I am proud to say that we have been able to provide meaningful raises over the past few years.
Dominguez: If we want to achieve higher levels of educational excellence, we need to invest more heavily in our teachers and support staff.
Chapman: Our staff are on the lower end of the JoCo districts. They have worked hard with us to increase para pay. Now we need to work on getting them up in a fiscally responsible way. Our staff is amazing!
Davenport: USD 231 has to compete with other Johnson County school districts for the best talent. For nearly two decades, the Kansas Legislature has funded public schools the absolute minimum allowed by law. I do not support raising local taxes.
Vaccination policies
My school district…
- Is strict about students receiving required vaccines, and should stay that way.
- Is strict about students receiving required vaccines, and should be more flexible. Is flexible about students receiving required vaccines, and should be more strict.
- Is flexible about students receiving required vaccines, and should stay that way.
- I don’t know my school district’s vaccine policies.
Aldridge: Data proves increased allergic and/or anaphylactic reactions to chemicals in the vaccines.
Sutton: Parents should be the ones who make this decision. Our district does have required vaccines but there are and should be exceptions for parents’ decisions. None of the answers above quite fit.
Dominguez: As a community, we are all responsible for keeping each other safe. Ensuring that all students who should be vaccinated are vaccinated is critical to maintaining the safety standards that all public schools should provide their students and staff.
Chapman: This really isn’t a district question, this is a state question. But flexibility for cases of religion and medical issues should absolutely be treated with flexibility. Our district used to be insanely strict about this.
Davenport: USD 231’s primary responsibility to its students is to keep them safe. A survey of all research supports the fact that vaccines prevent disease and deaths. Families have the right to receive education without fearing death by preventable disease.
Transgender students
If a student under 18 years old requests that a teacher call them by a name and/or pronouns that don’t correspond to their gender assigned at birth, the teacher should:
- Always agree.
- Agree only with parental permission.
- Never agree.
- Be free to decide whether to agree, based on personal beliefs.
Aldridge: It is the school’s responsibility to provide a safe and comforting environment for all students.
Dominguez: If we are serious in our claims to create a safe environment for all students, we cannot pick and choose who we extend that to. Creating a space where students feel a sense of belonging and inclusion applies to all.
Chapman: Our district has a policy for this. To a small degree these can be treated like a nickname, but any official name change or pronoun has a policy around it that protects students, staff and parents.
Davenport: Functionally, this is no different than any individual requesting to be called by a nickname. It’s a matter of respect to address an individual the way they wish to be addressed.
Technology in school
My school district:
- Doesn’t do enough to prevent harmful and distracting uses of technology in school.
- Is too restrictive about how new technologies are used in school.
- Neither.
Aldridge: There is still a lot of harmful and distracting information coming through the firewalls on district-issued devices. Yet cellphone usage needs to be a “phones down” and “emergency use” only policy (i.e. sensory needs, family issues).
Sutton: We removed cellphones in the classroom and it’s worked beautifully.
Dominguez: I think that we are on a path to being able to strike a good balance on this issue. Many students and parents I have spoken to are very embracing of the policy currently in place. So far it has been more positive than negative.
Chapman: We are leading the area with our limiting of tech distractions, but there is absolutely more we need/can do! “The Anxious Generation” by Jon Haidt helped us see this need!
Davenport: I believe our school district has done a great job at balancing the use of technology with achieving classroom goals.
Short answer
What are the three biggest challenges that your school district is facing?
Aldridge: 1. Inclusion. 2. Bullying/harassment. 3. Student health issues.
Sutton: Our primary goals are: 1. A common curriculum. 2. Success of the whole child. 3. Parental involvement.
Dominguez: 1. Embracing new technologies for the benefit of our students and their educational success. 2. Investing more in our educators, fiscally and in improving morale. 3. Continuing to push for inclusivity for ALL; more equity in the representation at all levels of the community.
Chapman: 1. Raising academic excellence. 2. Building a curriculum. 3. Growing our district.
Davenport: 1. The speed of AI. 2. Board of Education members without kids in the district for years. 3. Federal and state political activists seeking to cut funding for public education.
Name up to three specific things you would do on the board to address the most important issues facing the district.
Aldridge: 1. Inclusion of all! 2. Keep personal beliefs out of classrooms. 3. Take all health issues seriously.
Sutton: 1. Continue with calm and steady leadership. 2. Get the facts and communicate. 3. Ensure transparency with our staff and community.
Dominguez: 1. Assess tech use, invest in infrastructure and ensure access for all. 2. Hire more support staff and raise pay to reduce burnout. 3. Prioritize diverse hiring, culturally competent outreach, multilingual support and student advisory boards to uplift marginalized voices.
Chapman: 1. I believe holding ourselves as well as administrators, staff and students to a higher standard will help improve every aspect of education. 2. I am also very passionate about parental engagement/repairing the relationship with public education. 3. We need to build back and earn that trust!
Davenport: 1. I would advocate for professional development for educators and tech classes for students. 2. On AI, I spend time in my kids’ classrooms and getting to know building-level leaders and teachers so I can vote accordingly. 3. I will advocate for USD 231 at state and federal levels.
