Betty Arnold

Betty Arnold

Democratic Party

Kansas State Board of Education District 8

Tenure

2021 - Present

Term ends

2029

Years in position

4

Predecessor

Kathy Busch

Prior offices

Wichita Public Schools, District 1

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Wichita State University, 1975

Personal

Profession

School administrator

Contact

Official website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Personal TikTok

Betty Arnold (Democratic Party) is a member of the Kansas State Board of Education, representing District 8. She assumed office on January 12, 2021. Her current term ends on January 9, 2029.

Arnold (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Kansas State Board of Education to represent District 8. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Betty Arnold earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Wichita State University in 1975. Arnold's career experience includes working as the president of the Unified School District #259 Board of Education.

Elections

2024

See also: Kansas State Board of Education election, 2024

General election

General election for Kansas State Board of Education District 8

Incumbent Betty Arnold defeated Jason Carmichael in the general election for Kansas State Board of Education District 8 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Arnold (D)	51.5	45,691
		Jason Carmichael (R)	48.5	43,113

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 88,804
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 8

Incumbent Betty Arnold advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 8 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Arnold	100.0	3,515

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,515
= 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 8

Jason Carmichael advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 8 on August 6, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Carmichael	100.0	4,783

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,783
= 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 Arnold in this election.

2020

See also: Kansas State Board of Education election, 2020

General election

General election for Kansas State Board of Education District 8

Betty Arnold defeated incumbent Kathy Busch in the general election for Kansas State Board of Education District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Arnold (D)	51.4	49,467
		Kathy Busch (R)	48.6	46,821

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 96,288
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 8

Betty Arnold advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Betty Arnold	100.0	15,375

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 15,375
= 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 8

Incumbent Kathy Busch defeated Trish Hileman in the Republican primary for Kansas State Board of Education District 8 on August 4, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kathy Busch	61.5	11,242
		Trish Hileman	38.5	7,043

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,285
= 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.

Results

Wichita Public Schools, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ben Blankley	49.86%	7,766
Betty Arnold Incumbent	49.32%	7,682
Write-in votes	0.82%	128
Total Votes		15,576
Source: Sedgwick County Election Office, "November 7, 2017 General Election Official Results," accessed November 17, 2017

Funding

See also: Campaign finance in the Wichita Public Schools elections

Arnold filed a statement indicating that she would not spend or receive more than $1,000 for her campaign. Because of that, she did not have to file additional reports.

2013

Wichita Public School, District 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Nonpartisan	Betty Arnold Incumbent	94.4%	7,573
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	5.6%	453
Total Votes				8,026
Source: Sedgwick County Election Office, "April 2, 2013, General Election Official Results," April 8, 2013

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Betty Arnold did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Betty Arnold did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Arnold’s campaign website stated the following:

“	New Leadership Delivering Results for Kansas Thank you for taking the time to “Meet Betty”. One thing that I hope stands out to you is my commitment to and for public education. My resolve for this institution is by and through my life experience and learning first hand the difference that education can make in one’s life. There are amazing results when a young mind is nurtured. Those results equate to individual success and economic stability for our state and nation as a whole. Thus, my reason to seek to represent you on the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education requires a unique blend of passion, a leadership style that reflects "We the people", and a clear focus on getting the job done. I am passionate about education and I believe that every student has skills and talents that if developed will lead that student to success! It is important that you know this before we journey through my strong belief in education. In December 1975, I graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and shortly thereafter begun my career as a public servant with the Kansas Department of Labor. Shortly before retiring, I was elected to the Board of Education for USD 259 in Wichita. I served as the District One representative for 10 years. During that time, I was elected by my fellow Board members to serve as president of the Board twice and vice-president three times. Additionally, I was elected to represent my District as a Board member for the Kansas Association of School Boards and the Council of Great City Schools. I chaired the Sedgwick County Democratic Party and was selected as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention in 2016. Education as we know it was halted in March of this year due to the pandemic, something that none of us expected nor were we prepared with options of how do we continue to meet the needs of our students. Months later those guidelines or models are still absent with our State Board of Education offering no leadership and stating that each school district should figure out what they should do. Sound familiar? If you believe that our students deserve better; if you believe that we need leaders willing to lead; if you believe that your voice can make a difference, then lend me your support and elect Betty Arnold for State Board of Education. ​:Betty	”
—Betty Arnold’s campaign website (2020)

2017

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey

Betty Arnold participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on July 17, 2017:

“

To support a quality education for ALL students is available.

”

Ranking the issues

The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.

Education policy
Click here to learn more about education policy in Kansas.
Education on the ballot

Issue importance ranking
Candidate's ranking	Issue
1	Balancing or maintaining the district's budget
2	Closing the achievement gap
3	Expanding school choice options
4	Improving education for special needs students
5	Expanding arts education
6	Improving post-secondary readiness
7	Improving relations with teachers

“	I feel all of these issues are important and it is more than a challenge to put them in a priority.	”
—Betty Arnold (July 17, 2017)

Positions on the issues

The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.

Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.)
Yes.
Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement.
The state should defer to school board decisions in most cases.
Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement?
No. A snapshot only and does not reflect achievement or define an individualized educational plan.
How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district?
Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. Put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve. Set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district.
Should teachers receive merit pay?
Yes. Should be based on fair standards and not solely on intended outcomes.
Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program?
No.
How should expulsion be used in the district?
For punishable offenses.
What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration?
Student-teacher ratio All of the above work in conjunction to ensure student success.

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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Betty Arnold campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Kansas State Board of Education District 8	Won general	$15,412	$0
Grand total			$15,412	$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

External links

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Candidate

Kansas State Board of Education District 8

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Kansas State Board of Education District 8

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Kathy Busch (R)	Kansas State Board of Education District 8 2021-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Wichita Public Schools, District 1 2007-2018	Succeeded by -