Kenneth Willard has served two terms on the Kansas Board of Education representing District 7, which encompasses most of central and south-central Kansas, including Harvey County.
Before that, he served for five years on the USD 309 Board of Education in Hutchinson.
“The local board is a lot more hands-on,” Willard said, explaining the role of the state board is more policy-oriented. “It’s given me a lot broader of a perspective, obviously.”
Willard faces a relatively unopposed re-election this year to what would be his third term in office.
“I had only intended to run for two terms,” he said, “but we have some really important things going on.”
He named specifically a program for high school students that integrates some occupational training with their regular studies, in order to prepare them to join the workforce after graduation, should they chose to forgo college.
Though Willard has run twice before in hotly contested elections, he has little reason to doubt his re-election this time around. He has only one challenger in the primary election, M.T. Liggett, an artist from Mullinville known for politically satirical pieces that adorn Highway 154.
Though Liggett has not held public office before, this is not the first time he has run. He was one of three candidates in the Republican primary for the District 7 seat in 2006, but finished with only 9.3 percent of the vote.
Though he does not possess much of a political record, Liggett has used his art as a forum to criticize the state Board of Education. One piece, which criticizes the board’s stand on evolution, calls the board members “nincompoops” and claims that they are “lead(ing) our schools to the stone age.”
Calls to Liggett for comment about the election were not answered.
Willard is confident he will be re-elected this year, because most of the focus in this election has been paid to other races, and there is no Democrat running in the general election. Unless Liggett develops a larger following than in previous elections or a strong write-in candidate emerges, the election is Willard’s to lose.
If he is re-elected, Willard’s priorities in his third term will be increasing reading and math proficiency among graduates and concentrating on decreasing drop-out rates, he said.
“Although Kansas ranks very strong in the country, we have too many kids who are not proficient in math and reading,” he said, of his priorities.
Willard was inspired to run for his local board of education interested citizen, he said.
“I just felt like I needed to be involved,” he said.
Willard’s major concern ahead of his likely-continuing role on the board is how schools may be affected by continuing budget challenges. With state allocations and resources reduced, he does not rule out the likelihood that programs will face cuts.
“In difficult times, you have to do difficult things,” he said.
Willard and Liggett will be on the Republican primary ballot Aug. 3. The winner of the primary will run uncontested on Nov. 2.
