Amy Diediker for State Board of Education

𝗪𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗺𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝟯. If you live in KS Senate districts 11, 23, 35, or 37, you are in SBOE District 3. This district includes a large part of Blue Valley, in addition to Olathe, Gardner-Edgerton and Spring Hill school districts.

Decisions made by the SBOE affect our BV students every day, yet these races don’t always get the attention they deserve. The Board appoints the Kansas Education Commissioner and supervises Kansas public schools. They make important decisions on teacher certification and state assessment testing. In the not-so-distant past, the SBOE had Kansas in the national news for hearings arranged by the Board “with the intent of 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 into science classes.” 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟭𝘀𝘁-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘆, 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Amy Diediker is a former elementary music educator. Her kids attended Olathe public schools and she is a strong supporter of public schools. She is committed to ensuring every Kansas child has access to high-quality schools, safe and supportive learning environments, and opportunities that prepare them for college, careers, and life. She is dedicated to supporting educators, improving student outcomes, and 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

Retired 𝗕𝗩 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗿. 𝗔𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮, who taught and worked in our district for decades, is Diediker’s treasurer. She’s also backed by 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. We’ve met with Diediker and give her our wholehearted endorsement.

Diediker’s opponent, Jim McMullen, is well-known to Blue Valley voters. He served one term on our School Board and was soundly rejected by voters for a second term (the first time an incumbent BOE member has ever lost re-election in BV). McMullen is backed in this election by 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀 Moms For “Liberty” and the New-York based 1776 Project PAC.

𝗠𝗰𝗠𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. He says he’s “conservative” but that doesn’t mean what most people think it does. McMullen wants to take public schools back decades to a “basic” education. He rejects supports for students, teachers, and families including school nurses and vital mental health supports. While a BV BOE member he voted repeatedly against a partnership with Children’s Mercy Hospital to place social workers in schools - despite teachers’ and families’ reports of the critical role they play in student success.

McMullen was one of the first members of the local Moms for “Liberty” chapter and has been a regular speaker at their meetings. He made local news before he was even elected, and then after he was on our Board, for inappropriate tweets using his School Board title. See links in comments to read our posts from when McMullen caused trouble on our School Board as well as info on the 1776 Project PAC and Moms for “Liberty.”

Visit Amy Diediker’s website to read all of her positions, donate to her campaign and request a yard sign. (link in comments)

𝙉𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 “𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙘” 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨. The exceptional public schools here, and in Johnson County and Kansas overall, do NOT need McMullen’s extreme, bigoted views against supporting teachers, against student mental health, and against funding public education impacting our State Board of Education. 𝗦𝗕𝗢𝗘 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝟯 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀’ 𝗘𝗫𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘀’) 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗺𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗿.

Our McMullen posts:

https://www.standupbluevalley.org/blog/categories/jim-mcmullen

Our posts about Moms for “Liberty”:

https://www.standupbluevalley.org/blog/categories/moms-for-liberty 

Our posts about the New York-based 1776 Project PAC:

https://www.standupbluevalley.org/blog/categories/1776-project-pac

Amy Diediker’s website:

https://amyd4boe.com/