School board elections for all three districts set for Tuesday

By Roger Sims

rsims@linncountyjournal.com

All of the districts have three open seats, however, in two districts only one candidate has filed for each seat. Barring a well-organized write-in ballot campaign, those candidates are expected to be elected.

The Pleasanton school district is the exception to that, however.

Pleasanton USD 344

The election to fill the three open seats on the Pleasanton USD 344 Board of Education will be the most contentious election in the county outside of the race for Pleasanton City Council.

All three of the incumbents on the Pleasanton school board have filed to retain their posts. Cindy Inman, Meredith Johnson and Kaye Hardy will face two new challengers – Ron Miller and Kayleigh England.

Miller has also filed to run for a seat on the Pleasanton City Council.

Pleasanton’s board does not have districts and all of the members are at-large.

Prairie View USD 362

Voters in three areas of the Prairie View school district will choose two new representatives to the seven-member and likely to re-elect a third representative to the board of education. Here is a link to a map of the Prairie View board districts.

District No. 4, which covers the northeastern corner of Linn County – including the city of Linn Valley – and the southeastern corner of Miami County, is up for grabs because current representative George Nunnemacher has moved to La Cygne and is not eligible for re-election.

It has been difficult for that area to keep that seat filled. Nunnemacher was elected on a write-in vote in 2023 when no one had filed to run for that open seat following the resignation of the previous board member.

David Houston has filed to run for the District No. 4 seat and has no formal opposition.

Heather Schull has filed to run for the District No. 3 seat and also has no formal opposition.

That seat, currently held by Rita Boydston, covers an area southwest of the city of Parker and an area north of 2100 Road up to the Beagle area in Miami County west to the Anderson County line.

Boydston, who was originally elected on a write-in campaign eight years ago, has served two terms in office and is stepping down.

The seat open this election in District No. 6 is held by Wade Teagarden. Teagarden, a longtime member of the board filed for re-election, and like the other two candidates was the only person to file for the position.

Jayhawk USD 346

The candidates for the three posts on the Jayhawk USD 344 Board of Education are even more straightforward. The incumbents have filed for reelection and have no opposition.

Those members include Tracy Springer for District 4, Matt Higgins for District 5 and Ketturah “Kitty” Rhynerson for District 6.