Three new candidates filed for School Board candidacy Monday before the deadline closed at noon. Candidate Kenny Massey withdrew from the race after hearing this news Monday morning.
As of Friday, not enough candidates had filed for seats, prompting Massey to declare his candidacy since he did not want the winner to come down to a write-in. After finding out Tony Barron – the first of three new candidates to file Monday – was running, Massey said he felt comfortable pulling himself from the race.
Massey said after talking to Barron and discussing his background and experience in education, he feels his expertise will be good for Eudora.
Travis McCormick and Shawna Vetter also filed to enter the race.
Barron said running for School Board has always been of interest to him, but the timing has never worked out until now. He said the current and past School Board has worked hard to put together the new strategic plan, improve facilities and update curriculum. He said he wants to continue to carry on their legacy.
Barron said he has had two sons graduate from the district and has another starting his freshman year in August. He said he has the time to dedicate to the position now. He formerly served on the Eudora Schools Foundation from 2018 to 2021.
Barron is the facilities director for Johnson County but formerly worked for 10 years in facilities for the Lawrence School District and Blue Valley District. Working in schools gave him a look into the operational side of education and it also gave him an opportunity to work with school board members, he said.
Although his background is in facilities, he knows students and teachers are the backbone of schools, he said. He has been a public servant for over 20 years in various roles for city government, schools and now county government, he said.
Making sure students explore their futures whether it’s in the trades or with college credit, it’s important they have opportunities to positively impact their community, he said.
McCormick also joined the running Monday and said his decision to run came after seeing a lack of candidates and feeling like he could make a difference, he said.
McCormick said his goal is to keep the schools in the good standing they have been. He hopes the beginning of his term would consist of educating himself on how the processes within the schools work to be more informed.
He has been a lifelong resident of Eudora and graduated from Eudora High School. His daughter graduated from the high school this year, so he does not currently have any family in the schools. He said this will give him the time and experience as a parent to make unbiased decisions around the topics affecting the community and school district.
Vetter has filed after first considering the run during the pandemic. Changing policies during COVID-19 brought to light how important the board is and inspired her to give it a try, she said.
Vetter has two students in the district, and said she has a vested interest in the school system for the next several years.
She works as a substitute teacher in the district and has a good relationship with teachers and people who live in the area, so she wants to be part of that and the future, she said.
She was also a part of the capital campaign committee that helped raise money to put a bond on the ballot, which allowed her to brainstorm a lot about school needs.
Having friends who are teachers and being a parent herself, helps her see what resources are needed to make it easier for both parents and district staff.
Vetter was also involved with the parents for the Eudora library group several years ago to help find ways to fund a new library. During that time, she also helped get Feeding Eudora started.
She wants to make sure the community is one that people want to live and invest in while seeing it grow, she said.
Joe Hurla and Heather Whalen will be the other candidates in the race to fill three seats on the School Board. See our prior story with their candidate bios here.
