Beryl New

Beryl New

Democratic Party

Kansas State Board of Education District 6

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

0

Predecessor

Deena Horst

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Topeka High School

Bachelor's

Washburn University, 1988

Graduate

Washburn University, 2001

Ph.D

University of Kansas, 2007

Personal

Birthplace

Junction City, Kan.

Religion

Pentecostal

Profession

Educator and administrator

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Personal LinkedIn

Personal TikTok

Beryl New (Democratic Party) is a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, representing District 6. She assumed office on January 14, 2025. Her current term ends on January 9, 2029.

New (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Kansas State Board of Education to represent District 6. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

New completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Beryl New was born in Junction City, Kansas. She earned a high school diploma from Topeka High School, a bachelor's degree in secondary English education and master's degree in school leadership from Washburn University, and a doctorate in education administration from the University of Kansas. Her career experience includes working as an English teacher at Topeka High School, assistant principal and principal at Highland Park High School and Lawrence High School, and director of certified personnel and equity at Topeka Public Schools. As of 2024, New was affiliated with the Kansas African American Affairs Commission.

Elections

2024

See also: Kansas State Board of Education election, 2024

General election

General election for Kansas State Board of Education District 6

Beryl New defeated Bruce Schultz in the general election for Kansas State Board of Education District 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beryl New (D)	57.2	66,956
		Bruce Schultz (R)	42.8	50,013

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 116,969
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 6

Beryl New advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 6 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Beryl New	100.0	13,698

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,698
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 6

Bruce Schultz advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 6 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bruce Schultz	100.0	13,728

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,728
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for New in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Beryl New completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by New's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a recently retired educator with 35 years of experience. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Washburn University and my doctorate degree from the University of Kansas. I have spent my career in Lawrence Public Schools and Topeka Public Schools. I serve on many committees and two governor-appointed commissions, all focused on supporting youth and disenfranchised citizens. I am the proud mother of 8 children and 12 grandchildren. I am married to LaRon. I have been a resident of Topeka since I was 8 years old. I am very active in my church and the Topeka community. I have remained in the role of co-chair of the Topeka Public Schools Equity Council since my retirement.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Literacy is a critical area of focus for every Kansas student, especially those in District 6. When students learn early how to read well, they maintain a positive attitude about school and learning new things. When they struggle as readers, they lose interest in learning and fall further and further behind. Literacy supports must be available for early education scholars to ensure that they can emerge from the public school system as young adults prepared for higher education and/or school to work.
• The State Board of Education should continue to support alternative routes to teaching for degreed individuals who wish to transition to the teaching profession. With the nation experiencing the current teacher shortage challenges, Kansas should continue to lead in developing innovative ways to attract excited candidates to the profession, and provide opportunities for them to receive academic training at many in-state colleges and universities within their established teacher preparation programs.
• Every Kansas school child and every parent and tax paying citizen should have full confidence that Kansas children are safe from internal and external threats while they are in school. Bullying, threats of gun violence, and unsecured school environments are inexcusable. The State School Board must ensure that funds are appropriated to every Kansas school district to create and maintain a safe and secure learning environment for all children.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that public school funds should be exclusively allocated to public schools. Parent choice is a fundamental right; yet, should parents choose to send their child to a private institution, the parents should pay out of pocket for their choice. Critical funds and resources should not be funneled away from public schools in order to pay private school tuitions.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The State Board of Education supports the state public education institutions. Federal and state funds flow through this agency to public schools, and the Board monitors the expenditures to ensure that they align with the goals of the state department of education. The Board ensures that all relevant state statutes and policies are implemented in school districts. It also creates uniform policies and procedures for all public school boards to incorporate into their district policies and regulations for personnel, fiscal, and student performance matters.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my late mother, late grandmother, and late aunt. They were three kind, compassionate, strong, patient leaders who taught me how to love myself, love others, and love God.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

I would suggest a book by Malcolm Gladwell entitled David and Goliath.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official should be visible, engaged with their constituents, committed to the work assigned to them, honest in communication, dependable in attending meetings, and informed of current issues.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am goal-oriented and committed to the mission to which I am assigned. I am a good listener, a collaborative team member, and I sincerely care about the success of young people.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities are to attend monthly state board meetings, visit district school board meetings, provide feedback to their constituents on current educational issues and decisions made by the board, and be consistently available to hear and respond to their constituents’ concerns and comments.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope that people remember me as someone who genuinely cares about others. I hope my former students attest to the fact that I treated each one of them as if they were my own child. I hope my colleagues recall that I served and supported them to the best of my ability and ensured that they had everything they needed to take great care of the children.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I will never forget the afternoon that we received the news that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. I was 11 years old and in 6th grade. We went outside of our classroom and stood with other students, saluted the flag, and mourned the death of this great leader.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a telephone salesperson and I held it over the Christmas holiday. After that, I was happy to go back to school and just be a high school student!

What is your favorite book? Why?

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. It teaches many life lessons in an engaging, relatable, colorful way.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

“The Goodness of God” by CeCe Winans.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle to take credit for accomplishments which I know took a full team effort. I see myself as a facilitator who effectively ensures the resources are made available for the team to get the work done.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The responsibilities which I believe are most important are those which relate to per pupil funding, including weightings for special education programs and educational equity, and those related to ensuring that highly qualified teachers serve all Kansas students.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I believe that the public should be aware that the Kansas Board of Education seeks input from community members and stakeholders in relation to policy development and exploration of key issues which are important to parents and youth. The Board has held scheduled board meetings in the community so that the public has access to how meetings are structured and the topics currently being discussed.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that a passion for serving students and their families in a role which contributes to the development of policies which will support students throughout a productive process through public schools is extremely important. One would not need a deep background in politics in order to do that, but it would be helpful to have that level of experience for the challenging process of campaigning for a political office.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Every public servant should be a focused listener, be accountable to the public for immediate responses to their inquiries, be compassionate and consider the needs of every citizen, have a curricular background in the scope and sequence of the academic pathway, be a collaborative communicator, and maintain emotional intelligence as they work in diverse settings and interact with individuals who may have diverse ideologies.

Tell us your favorite joke.

It’s a VERY long joke about a dog, an old woman, a skyscraper under construction, a train, and a brick. A man is supervising the construction of the skyscraper. He is a perfectionist, to the point where he has calculated supplies down to the number of bricks needed to construct the building. Each day when he checks on the progress of the project, he counts the number of bricks left to finish the job. Finally, the building is completed! He tours each floor and sees that everything is completed to specs. He gets to the roof and looks over into a far corner and what does he see? One lonely brick! He can’t believe it! He becomes unhinged! Ranting and raving, he grabs the brick, throws it off the building, and then jumps off after it. Ha ha! You get it, don’t you? No? Okay. Can I tell another joke? Okay! So, there is an old lady who took her little dog to the market with her one morning. She bought her vegetables and her household items and then went to the meat market. She bought some thick sausages, put them in her basket, tucked her little dog under her arm, and headed for the train to ride home. The train was really crowded that day, and the dog was hungry. The sausages smelled strong! The dog started barking. People started complaining about the sausages and the dog. The conductor told her she would need to keep the dog quiet and put the sausages by the open window. But the dog kept barking and the sausages got stinkier. The conductor came back twice with the same demands, but nothing improved. Finally, he said that they could no longer tolerate the dog or the sausages. Either they, or all three of them, had to go! The old woman thought a moment, and then told him to throw both out the window, so he does. But the woman is sad. She keeps looking out the window to catch sight of her dog, but to no avail. Suddenly, as the train rounds the curve, she sees the little dog trotting down the railroad tracks. And guess what he has in his mouth? (The sausages?) No! The brick!

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

AFT, Representative Ann Mah, Kansans for Excellence in Education, KFDW, KNEA

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I believe that transparency and accountability both are critical in order to maintain trust between the institution and the public.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

I believe that Kansas has a process in place which is beneficial to how our amendments are presented to the state legislature. Then, Kansas voters can voice their support through the voting process. Within the current system of checks and balances, I believe that the process works well for Kansans.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

New’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Beryl's Goals Education should be accessible. Developing a civic minded community Investing in school improvements. Increasing graduation rates. Supportive learning environments.	”
—Beryl New’s campaign website (2024)

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Beryl New campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Kansas State Board of Education District 6	Won general	$24,166	$0
Grand total			$24,166	$0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Kansas State Board of Education District 6

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Deena Horst (R)	Kansas State Board of Education District 6 2025-Present	Succeeded by -