Six Piper candidates running for three open spots

The six candidates who have filed for these positions are Allison DeWitt, John Droppelmann, James “Morris” Letcher, Shawnette Mansfield, David R. Wilson, and Darrell Yoder.

The general election is scheduled April 2.

A candidate forum for the Piper School Board candidates is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at Piper High School, 4400 N. 107th. The forum is sponsored by the Piper School District.  It will be moderated by Cindy Cash, president of the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce. District officials are planning to videotape the forum and have it available for viewing later on the Piper School District website.

Following are the questionnaire responses we have received from the candidates. We will be adding responses as we receive them. Candidates may contact us or send in their questionnaire responses to news@wyandottepublishing.com.

Allison C. DeWitt

1.    Name and Office Sought

Allison DeWitt – Piper USD 203 School Board  

2.    Age

48

3.    Occupation

Office Manager – Access Health and Injury Solutions

Office Address – 7833 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, KS 66112

4.    Education

B.S., University of Florida, 1982

5.    Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong

Business West

Piper PTA – Vice-President

6.    Reasons for running

I am a parent of two Piper High School students and an active member of the Piper PTA, currently serving as Vice-President/ High School.  As such, I am acutely aware of the day to day challenges that our schools face among which are managing growth, maintaining a secure environment for the students and staff and promoting academic excellence in this fast-paced digital age.  All of these challenges require thoughtful, decisive action as well as cooperation between the school administration, parents, students and Piper community.  I am running because I intend to bring that thoughtful, decisive action to a position on the Piper School Board to ensure that we support the district’s commitment to maximizing our student;’s educational experience.  

7.    What is your top campaign issue?

The Piper school district is experiencing unprecedented growth that is projected to continue over the next ten years or more.  As our current High School, Middle School and Elementary School buildings are already at or near student capacity, there are both short and long-term issues that require action to manage this explosive growth.  My top campaign issue is ensuring that that all proposals and options directed to manage district growth are in the best interest of our students and community and are economically feasible.

      9.    There may be budget constraints facing local governments and schools. If  you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?

As a parent, business owner and PTA board member, I am well aware of working with a budget.  The most important aspect of a budget is to be aware of those items that are necessary to maintain the primary goals of the organization.  Therefore, the budget must reflect the prioritized needs required to maintain the Piper school district goals of sustainable excellence.  Any budget cut proposals I would support would be made with those prioritized needs in mind.

10.     If you are an incumbent……

 Not applicable

11.    What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other

candidates running for this office?

I am not aware of the other Piper School Board candidates platforms/ stand(s) on the issues.

12.    Have you run for elected office previously?

No, this is my first time as a candidate for elected office.

John Droppelmann

1.    Name and office sought

John Droppelmann Jr.   Board of Education District 203, Piper, Kansas

2.    Age

45

3.    Occupation

Fire Captain, Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department

4.    Education

Bachelor’s of Science Electrical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia

5.    Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong

International Association of Firefighters Local 64

Kansas City, Kansas, Firefighters Relief Association

International Association of Arson Investigators, Kansas Chapter

Volunteer Soccer Coach, YMCA Bonner Springs

Volunteer Softball Coach, Kaw Valley League, Field of  Dreams

Volunteer Piper PTA

6.    Reasons for running

To ensure a continuance of  the high quality of education that the families of  

the Piper School District currently receive.

7.    What is your top campaign issue?  

To make sure the facilities of the Piper School District keep up with the growth of  the student population.  

8.    There may be budget constraints facing local governments and

schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?

        Any program(s) that do not directly involve classroom instruction by high

        quality professional educators would have to be examined.                           

9.    If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office.

If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?  

        My desire is to involve all district patrons in the decision making process of      the School Board.  Making decisions based on what the democratic majority       desire is what I believe this county is about.  Currently, as a district patron, I feel uninformed about important decisions the district is making for our future.            

10.    What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?  

At this time, I do not know what the opinions of the other candidates are.

11.    Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?  

I have never run for an elected office.

James “Morris” Letcher

    Questionnaire responses not found.

    Letcher has served as an assistant coach. He also was nationally recognized on the Fire Department for heroism in 2011 for saving the life of a person in Kansas City, Kan.     

Shawnette Mansfield

1. Name and office sought

Shawnette Mansfield

USD 203 Piper Board of Education

3. Age

42 yrs. old

4. Occupation

Small Business Owner of Mansfield Bookkeeping and Accounting

Housing Management Coordinator of KCK Housing Authority

5. Education

Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Keller Graduate School of Devry University

Bachelor of Science in Accounting/Management from Park University

Associate of Science, Accounting from Kansas City, Kansas Community College

6. Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) - Member

Public Accountants Association of Kansas (PAAK) – Vice President Eastern Chapter

Community Housing of Wyandotte County (CHWC) – Board Member: Finance Committee

The National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) – Member Services (KS NAHRO) and regional member (SW NAHRO)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): The Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) – Member

Piper Community Education Association (PCEA) – Member

7. Reasons for running

I love the Piper community and I see this as an opportunity to share my experience and background in support of the educational institutions that benefit our community. More than anything else, I want to be in touch with the concerns and interests of the teachers, other district employees, parents and other concerned citizens of the district.

8. What is your top campaign issue?

School funding and budget cuts are a major concern. Our district is experiencing strong growth and adequate school funding is crucial to our continued success. I promise to advocate for adequate school funding.

9. There may be budget constraints facing local governments and schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?

I would take a historical look at what has taken place in the district and weigh in intrinsic factors that are of the utmost importance to our continued success as one of the best school districts in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Then I would consider the concerns my constituents, along with the teachers, and other district staff, and work with my fellow board members in a give-and-take discussion to arrive at a group consensus on what would eventually need to be cut.

10. If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office. If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?

I appreciate the efforts of our current board and believe they are doing an excellent job. I wish to build on their success and take an in-depth analysis of our school policies that focus on the safety and well being of our students and staff. The Board must ensure the district is providing a safe and secure school environment that promotes transparency and accountability to the community in which we serve.

11. What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?

Currently, I am unaware of any known differences.

12. Have you run for elected office previously? When, results?

This is the first time I have run for public office.

David R. Wilson

    Questionnaire responses not found.

Darrell Yoder

1.    Name and office sought

    Darrell W. Yoder; Piper USD 203 Board of Education

3.    Age

    41

4.    Occupation

    President and CEO of MAPS, INC.

5.    Education

    Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kan.

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration; Concentration in Accounting

6.    Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong

Piper youth basketball and baseball coach

7.    Reasons for running

My wife, Angie, and I have been married for 18 years and we have lived in the Kansas City area since 1994 and in the Piper community since 2001.  I am a father of two children who attend their respective schools within the Piper School District.  Quite simply, my children are my motivation in my candidacy for the Piper Board of Education.  I not only want a good school district for them, their friends, and all of our students, I want for them a great school district.  I want a district where everyone recognizes the excellence that Piper affords in the way of ensuring that our children excel consistently from year to year in their academic curriculum, athletic programs, and their overall character and life development.

In order to achieve this greatness, this community needs to come together to provide the educational resources for our children that are needed to be successful in today’s workplace.  The diverse fabric of our community and its patrons affords this District with a sufficient and significant opportunity to be successful; however, transparent communication and information is required from our Administration and Board.  As a taxpayer and member of this community, I am an advocate of our patrons being able to actively have an enhanced voice through a number of venues and forums to find a majority compromise in the strategy as the District looks to move to the next phase of its projected growth.  I will promote enhanced communication, consideration and compromise as we work toward the goal of giving our children the best possible public education and a Piper School District we can all be proud of.

I further support and endorse providing our teachers with the resources they deserve and require for preparation of education with our children toward the excellence that is sought in their academics and post-graduation well-being.  These resources must include, among other things, promoting a culture of recognition for individual worth, validation for diverse teaching styles accomplished within a specified structure and curriculum, providing a worthy means for applied professional development, and allowing for growth opportunities from within.

As a business owner, I understand and appreciate the importance of developing an organizational culture of unity for a common purpose.  This would be one that is founded on principles, implemented and practiced with passion, and one that has the ability to celebrate and have pride as that purpose becomes a success and further evolves.  In my role as the president and CEO of my company, I am tasked with providing a culture for my team associates to achieve growth and opportunity, much as I have described for the teachers above, while facing the challenges of a difficult economic climate.  I understand and have the experienced track record to lead with strategic budget and policy decisions in order to prepare for action when opportunity presents itself.

I am a fiscal conservative and I strongly believe that we must be open, honest, transparent and responsible with the funds that our community patrons have provided to the district.  Having said this, I am a proponent of having all financial options on the table for our community feedback.  I endorse implementing more aggressive initiatives for procuring alternative revenue sources by increasing school business partnerships and contracts with vendors, adding local education foundations, and increased commercial advertising and corporate sponsorships.   Alternative revenue source initiatives and related implementation would require strict compliance with guidelines, policies, and structures for a number of reasons; however, they would help offset taxpayer burdens while advancing the district in the challenges it currently faces with educational and growth challenges it faces.  I do not believe that we can continue to only “Band-Aid” these challenges with a short-term focus and perspective, but that we as a community of one needs to come together to provide a long-term solution and strategy for 10 years and beyond.

8.      What is your top campaign issue?

I have created an online website www.DarrellYoder.com  for those in the community who want to get to know me a little better and this website also contains some basic “ABC’s” of the platform for my campaign.  This website should be published and available for viewing in early February.  I have detailed some of my reasons for running previously herein; however and with this said, I believe that the biggest challenge that the next School BOE will face is with the projected enrollment growth for the next 10 plus years and how the District will accommodate the growth from a facilities and logistical perspective.   As the Piper School District moves forward to confront challenges for planning adequate classroom space in the next couple of years based on projections of enrollment growth, it is important that our community and the BOE proactively plan for and embrace it rather than simply reacting upon the reality when it arrives.  The district will have to meet this challenge with fiscal responsibility and alternative revenue sourcing exploration among other thing in consideration of the budgetary constraints – all while supporting its teachers and administrators.  The Board needs successful individuals with proven leadership backgrounds and as a concerned taxpayer and parent of children in the Piper school system.  I know that I can offer that leadership and professional expertise which is needed to meet the growth challenges that will be facing our school district.

9.    There may be budget constraints facing local governments and schools.  If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut?

    As possible cuts have already occurred in the latter months of this last calendar year and additional ones are considered, it is important that we are able to continuously monitor and conduct valid evaluations of our programs in order to safeguard the delivery of necessary services.  According to the Piper USD 203 website, the USD 203 Board of Education was forced to balance the budget at the beginning of the school year with cuts that purposely and strategically have been determined to minimize the negative effect on classroom instruction and student learning.  A complete listing of these previous cuts, reductions and adjustments can be found online at the District’s website and as reported in the Superintendent’s Blog.  The litmus test for a possible cut must always be to assess and mitigate the adverse extent that a potential cut would have on the education of our children.  It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on which specific cut would be at the top of my list without further and extensive discussions being first had with members of the Piper School Administration and BOE.  

10.      If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office.  If you are not an incumbent, what would you change?

    Again, I would answer this question by directing people to my website www.DarrellYoder.com that will be available in February for the purposes of providing the community with information gathering.  My platform incorporates some basic principles of the ABC’s – Accountability, Building Relationships, and Communication Enhancement.  I believe that all of these areas can be improved upon to help move the Piper School District from good to great.  I believe that facts should never be misrepresented nor delivered in part, but rather that all of our transactions should be completely transparent and forthcoming when dealing with our community patron resources as they impact our school system.

11.    What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office?

    It would be premature to speculate on the differences with my positions when compared to the other candidates.  Having said this, I do believe that my professional experience as a business owner and the associated leadership experience therewith will be a valuable asset to the District as it moves forward with the challenges it faces.  

12.    Have you run for elected office previously?  When, results?

    I have not run previously at any time for any elected office.