Whatever the outcome of the Nov. 3 election, voters should expect new faces on the Kansas State Board of Education, which sets policies and accreditation standards for the state’s school districts. 

With five Republican incumbents on the 10-member board not running for another term, some see this year’s election as a potential opportunity to shift the board’s political balance. The other five board members — including three Democrats — are not up for reelection until 2028. 

In District 3, which covers southern Johnson County and northern Miami County, Republican Jim McMullen of Overland Park faces Democrat Amy Diediker of Olathe. The seat is currently held by Republican Michelle Dombrosky, who is not running for reelection.

McMullen, who is trained as an attorney and taught middle and high school English early in his career, is a business owner. He served a term on the Blue Valley school board and faced pressure to resign over social media posts regarding LGBTQ issues in schools. In response to an earlier Beacon questionnaire, he said school districts should not use transgender students’ names or pronouns if different from what they were assigned at birth. He lost reelection in 2025. 

The 1776 Project PAC, a national organization that promotes conservative school board members, endorses McMullen as does Kansas Family Voice, which promotes “biblically informed policy.” The Johnson County Republican Party includes him on a 2026 candidate list. In August, McMullen defeated Steve Roberts in the Republican primary. 

Diediker is a former elementary music teacher. She has three children and is a community organizer, precinct leader and fundraiser for Perthes Kids Foundation. 

Diediker lists nine endorsements on her campaign website, including from two Kansas House members, the Kansas National Education Association teachers union, Game On for Kansas Schools, Stand Up Blue Valley and the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus. She is listed as a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense candidate.  

We asked both candidates about their priorities and their positions on issues the board has discussed recently. Responses have been edited for grammar, clarity, Associated Press style and in some cases length. 

Click the links below to jump to a question:

• Accreditation standards
• Parental rights
• Nonacademic subjects
• Top three priorities
• Assessing whether strategies are working
• Technology in schools

Meet the candidates

Jim McMullen

Occupation and employer: I am an investment banker and attorney by training. I am the owner of Royal Blue Capital, an Overland Park-based merchant banking firm that provides capital markets advisory services and makes principal investments. I am also the CEO of a local truck parts distribution business, AA Wheel & Truck Supply.

Background and qualifications: Early in my career I was a middle and high school English teacher. 

For more information see: https://jimmcmullen4kansas.com/,

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jimmcmullen4kansas 

Amy Diediker

Occupation and employer: Community organizer and precinct leader.

Background and qualifications: I am a former elementary music teacher and mom of three in Olathe. Our youngest daughter has complex medical needs. We have worked with the schools to accommodate her 504 plan for the last 12 years. I am also a community organizer, precinct leader and fundraiser for the Perthes Kids Foundation.

For more information see: www.amyd4boe.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Amy-Diediker-for-KS-Board-of-Education-61587684399357/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amyd4boe/ 

Multiple-choice questions

Accreditation standards

Should the Kansas State Board of Education condense its accreditation standards and other regulations for school districts? 

• Yes, schools should have more leeway to decide what is important to their communities. 
• No, but we should consider seriously overhauling the standards in place. 
• No, most of the standards the board already has in place are the correct ones. 
• Other/Unsure

McMullen: For the most part, local school districts and the local citizens who serve on those boards are in the best position to know what their communities need. We should have high expectations in terms of academic requirements, while yielding to local boards to determine the best ways to implement.

Diediker: The board recently adopted KESA 2.0, a revised accreditation system that uses a peer-review model and pairs districts with districts of similar size. We should allow sufficient time to implement and evaluate this new process before making changes. We should use feedback from educators, administrators and school districts, along with meaningful data, to determine whether further adjustments are needed.

Parental rights

Do Kansas parents need more opportunities to direct their children’s education and control what they are taught in public schools, such as exempting them from certain lessons? 

• Yes, we need to create more opportunities for parents to intervene in what their children are taught. 
• No, we already do a good job at letting parents direct their children’s education.
• No, it’s harmful for children to miss out on lessons that educators have determined are beneficial. 
• Other/Unsure

McMullen: Parents must always retain the right to know, and when they have concerns, voice their concerns and be able to have their wishes honored.

Diediker: Parents are their child’s strongest advocate and know their child best. At the same time, we must listen to and trust educators as trained professionals. Strong schools depend on a partnership among parents, educators and administrators. School districts already provide curriculum options and processes for parents with concerns about specific instructional materials or content.

Nonacademic subjects

Should Kansas schools place significant focus on things that are not directly related to core academic subjects, such as mental health, social-emotional learning, life skills and character development?

• Yes, if they are handled well. 
• No, it’s rarely appropriate for schools to teach on those subjects. 
• Some of those subjects are appropriate while others are not. 
• Other/unsure

McMullen: Kansas schools need to remain very close to their foundational purpose, which is imparting academic knowledge to students. Rigorous academic expectations teach important life skills and provide the character-building traits that parents want to see in their children. Kansas schools’ misguided and detrimental deviation into nonacademic areas should be stopped.

Diedker: Did not elaborate. 

Short-answer questions

If elected to the board, what would be your top three priorities to improve education in Kansas?

McMullen: 

1. Knowledge first. Our schools must prioritize their primary purpose: equipping all students with a foundational body of knowledge. By committing to a rigorous, knowledge-rich curriculum, we ensure every student gains the building blocks he or she needs to excel. This means returning our classroom focus to measurable, scholastic achievement in reading, mathematics, science and history.
2. Civic responsibility. Our schools must actively cultivate civic responsibility and uphold the high expectations that keep our state strong and free. 
3. Critical reasoning and independent thought. We must arm Kansas students with the intellectual tools to evaluate information logically and form their own conclusions, preparing them to successfully navigate a rapidly changing world. 

Diediker:

1. Local voice: I will stay connected to administrators, educators and parents in District 3 to ensure their experiences and concerns have a strong voice on the State Board.
2. Creative licensure: I want to maintain high standards for Kansas educators while finding creative ways to recruit and retain excellent teachers. I would examine licensure requirements to identify responsible ways to give qualified educators greater flexibility to teach in different content areas.
3. Reading: Kansas has made significant progress in strengthening reading instruction. I want to build on that work by following the data and identifying additional ways to support struggling readers, particularly at the middle and high school levels.

How should the board assess whether its strategies to improve education are working?

McMullen: 

• Improvement in scores on standardized tests, especially in reading and mathematics.
• Establishing measures to ensure middle and high school students are also able to competently read advanced materials and write long-form essays to a satisfactory level. 

Diediker: The board should use multiple measures to determine whether its strategies are working, including state and national assessments, graduation rates and other student outcome data. Just as importantly, I would want to hear directly from educators about what they are seeing in their classrooms. Data can show us where progress is being made, while educators can help us understand why strategies are, or are not, working for students.

What additional guidelines and/or restrictions would you like to see related to use of technology in schools, including but not limited to screen time in the classroom, artificial intelligence and personal electronic devices? 

McMullen: 

• There should be very little use of technology in the classroom because it serves to distract first and foremost. Frankly, nobody should have a personal electronic device in class at any level.
• However, teaching students to wisely use AI tools is important because these tools can be a force multiplier in terms of pulling and organizing information. It’s a tough balance because students have to train their minds so that they can augment their efforts through use of these tools. 

Diediker: The state board is currently developing guidance and policy around technology use in schools. I believe we need a balanced approach, neither eliminating technology nor allowing it to dominate the classroom. Students need to learn how to use technology and AI responsibly, including understanding both the benefits and risks. I would support age-appropriate curriculum that builds those skills. Educators should also have the flexibility to use technology when it enhances learning. Technology and AI should never replace strong, in-person instruction or the important relationship between students and educators; instead, they should be tools that expand learning opportunities.