BY MEGHAN FLYNN
Garden City Telegram
Three at-large positions are up for election on the USD 457 Board of Education on the Nov. 4 General Election ballot.
Six candidates are running for those positions.
They are Katie Cole, Whitney Buchman, Rebecca Swender, Jacob Jenkins, Lynnlea Anderson and Robin Nichols.
Incumbents Andy Fahrmeier, Jackie Gigot and John Wiese chose not to run for re-election.
Katie Cole
Cole is a native of Colorado. She was homeschooled until eighth grade before attending Rock Solid High School in Littleton, Colo., where she graduated in 2009.
After high school, Cole attended Colorado State University where doubled-majored in History and Spanish, with a minor in Political Science and an emphasis in Social Studies Teaching. She graduated in 2014.
She is married to Michael Cole, and together they have two children.
Cole and her family moved to Garden City in 2019.
She is the Coordinator for Arts and Enrichment at the Garden City Parks and Recreation Department where she teaches art, cooking and gardening classes as well as coordinating the theater program and special events.
Cole decided to run for election because she used to teach and found that every year she spent in education it became more obvious that the system was broken, and it wasn’t something she could fix in the classroom.
“Our teachers are suffering from burnout, our students’ academic performance and mental health is suffering, our buildings are crumbling, and many of the people in charge of education have never lived through the realities of running a classroom,” she said. “I became a teacher in 2014 and stepped away in 2024. Now I’m hoping to start working to fix this broken system, starting right here in Garden City.”
Her 10-year history as a teacher qualifies her to be on the School Board, Cole said. She taught in Douglas County, Colo., for five years and then taught in Garden City at Horace Good Middle School for five years.
“Over my years as a teacher, I worked with students from all walks of life – from the wealthy suburban kids of south Denver to the children of immigrants in southwest Kansas,” she said. “I firmly believe that no matter the student, no matter their background, every single one deserves equal access to quality education in a classroom where they feel welcome.”
If elected, Cole hopes to set the district on the path towards ensuring each student and school has access to a safe learning environment with “qualified teachers who are supported and confident.”
Whitney Buchman
Buchman said he was an Air Force brat, living all over the country, but his family primarily resides in Iowa, and he spent many of his formative years in Bellevue, Neb.
He’s been in Garden City for 16 years and is married to Mary Buchman.
Buchman holds a degree in Animal Ecology with a specialization in wildlife care and a minor in Biology from Iowa State University.
He works as a dog trainer/behaviorist.
Buchman said he decided to run for election because he has experience working with and within the school district.
“I feel that I could bring a pragmatic viewpoint to the Board,” he said.
If elected, he hopes to push policy to improve staff retention rates.
“(My main goal is to) improve staff retention and be a pragmatic voice for all in our unique and diverse community,” he said.
Rebecca Swender
Swender attended and graduated from Ellsworth High School in Ellsworth in 2006. After high school she attended Kansas State University where she graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Political Science with a minor in International Studies.
She later attended Kansas State University, where she graduated in 2012 with a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics.
She is married to HJ Swender, and together they have two children. They have lived in Garden City since 2013.
Since 2017, Swender has worked for Sen. Roger Marshall as District Director. Prior to that, she worked for Farm Credit of Southwest Kansas, which is now called American Ag Credit, and the Kansas Legislative Research Department.
Her experience working in both the public and private sectors qualifies her to be on the Board of Education, Swender said.
“I understand public budgets and policy issues, and I will bring a personal passion for students’ achievement,” she said.
If elected, Swender hopes to hire a quality superintendent who is focused on raising academic scores and is ready to focus on grade reconfiguration, teacher recruitment and retention and building maintenance plans.
“My main goal is to foster an environment within USD 457 where students are safe and ready to learn, and teachers are valued at a professional level,” she said. “I want to focus the district’s energy on raising academic scores above all priorities.”
Jacob Jenkins
Jenkins is from Bucyrus, Kansas. He attended school in Louisburg, growing up and graduated from Louisburg High School in 2008.
After high school, Jenkins played college baseball at Highland Community College before finding himself at Kansas State University, where he graduated from with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science in 2014.
He and his wife, Courtney Jenkins, moved to Scott City in 2017, before moving to Garden City in 2021. Together they have three daughters.
“We moved here so our kids could go to school at Plymell Elementary (School),” he said.
Jenkins is a cattle buyer for National Beef Packing Company. He’s worked there for 10 years.
He decided to run for election because of his children and every other student in the district, Jenkins said. He believes that the board should elevate its students to do their best in school.
“It is extremely important to me for our students to get the best education they possibly can here in Garden City,” he said. “I believe with the world changing as fast as it is we need to prepare our students the best we can for college or whatever they choose to do after graduating from Garden City.”
Jenkin said his experience on the Beef Empire Days Board for seven years qualifies him to be on the School Board.
“I served as the Vice President for a year. I am very involved in my kids’ school,” he said. “With National Beef I help manage my areas budged on a monthly basis to best serve our company’s needs.”
If elected, Jenkins hopes to hire a permanent superintendent, remove iPads from elementary schools and to limit phone use for teachers and students while at school.
“My main goal is to help every student get the best education they possibly can while in our schools,” he said. “I would also help teachers and students feel comfortable in our schools as a great place to learn and to teach our students. I would like to look at our school’s budget and make sure that every dollar is spent for the best return on investment.”
Robin Nichols
Nichols is from Walsh, Colo., and graduated from Walsh High School in 1979. He later attended WYOTech Automotive school.
He has been a resident in Garden City for 41 years.
He is married to Gina Nichols. Together they have two adult sons who graduated from Garden City High School.
Nichols said he decided to run for election because there are too many students leaving the district.
“I want to stop students from exiting Garden City schools,” he said.
He said honesty, integrity, transparency, common sense, reason and being a good steward for taxpayers qualifies him to run for school board.
If elected, Nichols hopes to stop students exiting the school district and hopes to have more home-grown teachers in the community.
“(My goal) is raising the text scores, retaining honors classes, bringing back the pledge of allegiance of our great flag, teaching students why we have our freedoms,” he said.
Lynnlea Anderson
Anderson is a Garden City native, living in the city most of her life except for about 10 years when she lived in eastern Kansas.
She attended and graduated from Garden City High School in 1996. Following high school, Anderson attended Pittsburg State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Education in 2011.
Anderson returned to Garden City in 2011 after earning her degree to take a job at Garden City Public Schools. She still works as a teacher in the school district.
She is married to Jason Anderson. Together, they have two children.
Anderson said being an educator qualifies her to be on the school board, that she “lives the life of an educator on a daily basis.”
“I know firsthand the struggles teachers are facing to educate students in our community,” she said. “Our teachers are the front line and yet, their voices are often silenced when making decisions that directly affect them. I have the actual experience needed to understand the impact a school board’s decisions have on teachers, students and the community.”
If elected, Anderson hopes to clarify the confusion surrounding test scores and how they don’t define success in schools. Additionally, she hopes to make the school board more transparent with spending the decision making.
“My main goal as a school board member is to bring the voices of teachers to the forefront and begin to have more teacher input in to the decisions made and stop relying on outside firms and/or companies to try and steer the direction of this district and it’s staff and students,” she said.
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