Current Olathe school board members who are running for reelection Nov. 4 are, from left, Julie Steele, Robert Kuhn and Becky Johann. Not pictured: Challenger Scott Enge, who told The Beacon he has decided to withdraw from the race. (Olathe Public Schools website and provided photos)

Olathe school district voters will continue to see some familiar faces on the school board for the next four years. 

Two candidates, incumbent Julie Steele and challenger Scott Enge, filed for the Member 3 seat. Enge told The Beacon in an Oct. 7 email that he had decided to drop out of the race, but he’ll still appear on the ballot. 

The incumbents for the Member 5 and Member 6 seats, Robert Kuhn and Rebecca Johann, are running unopposed. 

What does that mean for the future of the district? We asked candidates about their positions on several specific issues and their perceptions of the biggest issues facing the district, which is the largest in the Kansas City metropolitan area and the second largest in Kansas. 

It covers parts of Olathe, Lenexa, Overland Park, unincorporated Johnson County and Shawnee. 

Steele said she wasn’t able to respond because “the inflexible nature of the questions and the multiple choice options are too restrictive … My concern is that in answering those questions in the format provided, it won’t be inclusive of details that matter.”

She said she’d be willing to answer open-ended questions, but did not respond to a suggestion that she answer the open-ended questions that were already part of the questionnaire. 

Kuhn and Johann did respond. Their answers have been edited for grammar, clarity and AP style. Here’s what they had to say. 

Click on a link to jump to a section of the questionnaire:

Meet the candidates 

Member 3

Julie Steele

Steele is the current board vice president. According to her campaign website and her bio on the school board webpage, she was first elected in 2021 and has four children who are all either Olathe Public Schools students or graduates. She previously taught early childhood education in Olathe schools and is a small-business owner. 

Steele does not list any policy or subject matter priorities on her website. But she said she is “passionate about contributing to the growth and success of the schools and students in Olathe.” She also said her experience with her own children taught her “how incredibly different the learning process can be and why it is vital that schools are able to meet the individual needs of each student.”

She’s recommended by the district’s teachers union, the Olathe NEA, which believes she “is committed to the learning, safety, and health of our students and staff” and willing to “engage with educators and hear our voices.” She is also included on the Johnson County Democrats’ list of 2025 candidates. 

Scott M. Enge

Enge told The Beacon he has decided to withdraw from the race. He has a candidate Facebook page from a previous election cycle but did not appear to have an active campaign website or social media page. His old candidate page says that he is a longtime educator. 

Member 5

Robert Kuhn

Occupation: Production manager at Mad City Windows and Bath

Background and qualifications: I have served the past four years on the board, and I am a parent of students in the district.

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/p/Robert-Kuhn-Advocate-for-Olathe-students-teachers-parents-and-tax-payers-100071678461751/ 

Favorite school event: Too many to mention, but if I had to pick a favorite it would have to be graduations.

Member 6

Becky Johann

Occupation: Clinical director, cardiology, University of Kansas Health System-Olathe Campus 

Background and qualifications: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-johann-46b6abb3/

Social media: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559821022155&mibextid=ZbWKwL 

Favorite school event: Graduation! Such a fun culmination of the year’s events and very rewarding to be a part of it. 

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. 

Kuhn: If the state was fully funding special education as they are statutorily required to, we would be able to spend money more appropriately where it should be instead of pulling funds from other buckets. Until the state does this, we are at the right balance.

Johann: Federal and state limitations to fully fund education make it difficult to support our schools and supporting programs to enhance education. We are doing the best we can but have to make tough decisions every day.

Immigration 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)

Johann: Follow district procedures.

Teacher pay 

Teachers in my district…

  • Need a significant pay raise. 
  • Are paid too much already.
  • Are making about the right amount.

Kuhn: If the state would fully fund special education, we would not have to pull from other buckets to fund it. This would allow us to have more funds instead of using our reserve funds.

Johann: We remain competitive with our neighboring districts but again are limited by federal funding to enhance wages to keep up with inflation rates.

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. 

Johann: As a member of the health care field, I can attest that vaccination is the best way to prevent and stop spread of deadly illnesses. 

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. 

Kuhn: Pronouns should not be used. Students should go by the name they are registered into school with by their parents.  

Johann: Would comply with district policy.

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. 

Johann: Our district takes a comprehensive approach to prevent harmful technology all while supporting new developments in this realm.

Short answer questions

What are the three biggest challenges that your school district is facing? 

Kuhn: Special education funding, declining enrollment and recruiting great teachers.

Johann: Federal funding challenges. Decreased birth rates = decreased enrollment — reallocating resources. Keeping up with the changes in the technology world and integration of AI into education.

Name up to three specific things you would do on the board to address the most important issues facing the district. 

Kuhn: I plan to keep testifying for full special education funding and look at ways to recruit and retain great teachers. Also look for ways to be able to quit raising property taxes while maintaining our high level of education to our students.  

Johann: Advocate to our legislators for funding, better understand the needs of the public to ensure that resources are aligned appropriately within our district to changing enrollments, and continue to review the latest information to integrate AI into public schools.

Type of Story: Q&A

An interview to provide a relevant perspective, edited for clarity and not fully fact-checked.

Maria Benevento is The Beacon’s education reporter. She joined The Beacon as a Report for America corps member. In addition to her work at The Beacon, she’s reported for the National Catholic Reporter,...