Turner Unified School District Board of Education (Jan. 20, 2026)

By Za’Carriah Simmons, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• District leaders said attendance is a priority, with Turner Elementary reporting that students are encouraged to miss no more than 10% of school days per month.
• The school’s goal is for no more than 20% of students to be chronically absent. Staff said the school has not yet met that goal, but attendance has improved compared to last year.
• Steve Russell was elected board president and Bryan Fishbaugh was elected vice president. This was Kay Stone’s first meeting as a new board member. Daniel Soptic announced he will resign effective June 1, 2026.

Notes

Meeting Attendance:

• Daniel Soptic
• Joy Beery
• Becky Billigmeier
• Kay Stone
• Bryan Fishbaugh
• Steve Russell
• Jason Dandoy
• Theresa Rangel

• Board elections and changes
  • Steve Russell was elected as president of the board.
  • Bryan Fishbaugh was elected as vice president of the board.
  • Kay Stone is the newest board member and this was her first meeting.
• Awards:
  • AJ Semm, a technology staff member at Turner High School, and Kate Roth, an english language arts teacher at Turner High School, won the Golden Bear Award. 
• The consent agenda items were approved. 
• Absence rate: District leadership and Turner Elementary staff shared an attendance update tied to the district’s strategic plan.
  • Attendance is a priority for the district this year with action items that include student attendance incentives and clear communication about policies to families.
  • Tara Hudson, principal of Turner Elementary School, explained the school’s attendance goals:
    • At the student level: Students are encouraged to miss no more than 10% of school days.
    • At the schoolwide level: The school aims to keep 20% or fewer students in the chronically absent category, which is defined as missing 10% or more of school days.
      • Hudson said they have not yet met their attendance goal this year, but have improved compared to last year’s chronic absenteeism rates.
        • Month-to-month comparisons are included in the parent newsletter.
          • The chronic absence rate was 22% in December 2025 and 27% in November 2025, according to the newsletter. 
          • There are 11 students at Turner Elementary School with perfect attendance.
    • Students helped create an attendance video and participated in incentives such as classroom rewards, perfect attendance recognition and peer encouragement strategies.
  • Students with the highest attendance interviewed members of the board on the importance of attendance.
    • Multiple conversations happened at once, making parts difficult to hear. 
    • In one conversation, a student asked Superintendent Jason Dandoy about his job and how attendance works in his role. He described his responsibilities and shared that his position includes scheduled time off.
    • Across the conversations, speakers mentioned points previously shared in the presentation, including preparing the night before and getting enough sleep to arrive on time. 
    • One board member noted that attendance is especially important for people in leadership roles because others depend on them. Board member Rangel shared an example of being late in the past and how it caused others to wait.
• Board Appreciation Month: In honor of Board Appreciation Month, each board member will be given a $50 gift card to shop at the student store in Turner High School.
• Out-of-state travel was approved: The board approved an out-of-state professional development trip to a conference in Colorado.
• Daniel Soptic will resign as board member on June 1, 2026: Soptic, who is also Wyandotte County sheriff, cited having priorities elsewhere, such as family and work.
  • Soptic is the only board member who has a student in the district. 
  • He said there need to be more board members who have students in the district because he believes it makes a difference when making decisions on the board.
• Passing of Doug Lockwood: The superintendent announced the recent death of former board member Doug Lockwood and outlined how the district plans to acknowledge his contributions.
  • The district plans to publish a written acknowledgment honoring Lockwood’s service in Turner Today, following past district practice for former board members and community leaders.
  • Leadership stated they would not make a broader social media post, but wanted to make sure he received official recognition. 

Follow-Up Question

Will there be any changes in how the board works together now that the board leadership team has been solidified?

Top Quote

“I think it’s time that we’re able to cultivate some, I say younger, but some people that have kids and they’re going to be around in the district and want to do it, and want to be involved because it makes a huge difference. Not saying you can’t do it if you don’t have kids, but you definitely have a different stake in it when you do.” – Daniel Soptic on being the only board member with children in the district.

Read more about this meeting and see all Kansas City Documenters notes here.