Jennifer Auge
From Ballotpedia
Jennifer Auge is running for election to the Maize Unified School District 266 to represent District 1, Position 4 in Kansas. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025. The primary for this office on August 5, 2025, was canceled.
Auge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jennifer Auge was born in Wichita, Kansas. She earned a high school diploma from Wichita South High School, a bachelor's degree from Wichita State University in 1991, a graduate degree from Wichita State University in 1999, and a graduate degree from Wichita State University in 2018. Auge's career experience includes working as an adjunct professor, English teacher, high school assistant principal, and middle school principal.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: Maize Unified School District 266, Kansas, elections (2025)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for Maize Unified School District 266 District 1, Position 4
Incumbent Kerry Fellows and Jennifer Auge are running in the general election for Maize Unified School District 266 District 1, Position 4 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Kerry Fellows (Nonpartisan) | |
 | Jennifer Auge (Nonpartisan)  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kerry Fellows and Jennifer Auge advanced from the primary for Maize Unified School District 266 District 1, Position 4.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jennifer Auge completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Auge's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m a retired teacher and principal from USD259 and I have spent my entire adult life in service to education both in k-12 and at the college level. I have a Doctorate in Education Leadership and 31 years experience in k-12 teaching/administration and 7 years as adjunct faculty for 2 small private colleges.
- My role as a school board member is to provide financial and strategic oversight. It is not the place for me to implement my own personal ideology or agenda. I will ensure all legal, ethical and financial obligations of the positions are met.
- I have experience and insight into students' educational journey as a student myself, a parent, a teacher, a school principal, and as a faculty/staff member in higher education. Students of all ages deserve an education that is safe, equitable and accessible.
- When I worked in public schools, both as a teacher and administrator, my “true north” was always what is best for students. Sometimes that was not the cheapest, the easiest or most efficient direction, but it was always the position from which I made hard decisions.
I think ethical use of AI is an emerging and ubiquitous concern of all educators. AI is not going away, but we need to teach students to use it as a tool to supplement their education and not to replace their own learning or work product.
I look up to some of the strong women leaders I have had the privilege of working for. They really showed me that it was possible to be a mom, a wife and a woman with a career and even to be a boss!
I read Brene' Brown's Dare to Lead after my retirement. It was an amazing book and I wish I had read it while a building principal.
Care and concern for constituents-. I will never place donor interests or personal ideology over the needs and concerns of those who elect me.
The ability to listen and ask questions is important. I am also confident and articulate and not afraid to speak when appropriate.
As I mentioned before, the role of a school board member is financial and strategic oversight. The school district sets goals and budgets and school boards ensure those goals are frequently reported on and updated as needed.
As a lifelong educator, I hope that I am on someone's favorite teacher list. I still have contact with former students (I've even had the opportunity to work with them as they grew up and became teachers).
The Challenger explosion is the first historical event that I remember. I was a senior in high school and our English teacher brought in a tv so we could watch news coverage. Richard Nixon resigned on my 6th birthday, but my parents remember that much better than I do.
The very first job I have strong memories of was working at a video rental store (before Blockbuster even existed). I had that job in high school and even part of college. Not everyone had VCRs in their homes so we rented devices as well as movies. Remember Betamax? It was that long ago.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. As a former high school English teacher----THE FORESHADOWING! I read that book in college and have read it many times since.
I've always identified pretty strongly with Junie B. Jones. If my granddaughter enters elementary school with the spirit of Junie B. Jones, I would be the proudest Gogo ever!
Golden by HUNTR/X (from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack
I grew up with my single mother and we didn't have tons of money. Somehow, she managed to provide us with opportunities to play sports, go to church camp, and take advantage of other social opportunities so that we could fit in. In my many roles in education, I still keep those single moms (or dads) and their children in my mind and try to make sure we have opportunities they can access just like we did. I also struggled some with mom guilt--especially when I was a school administrator and spent many long hours away from home with other people's children. I was always grateful to my administrator teams and how we always tried to work it out so we could have somewhat of a balance between our own families and the families that we served.
Again, the role of a school board member is financial and strategic oversight.
The students, families, and staff of USD 266
In an oversight capacity, I would ensure that I ask questions and listen to those who are charged with meeting those needs. I believe I mentioned in a previous question that all students deserve to have an education that is safe, equitable and accessible to all learners and all needs,
The best way to build relationships is through visibility and access. I think it's important that folks are comfortable reaching out, saying hello when we meet in public, or sending a message. It's also important to respond to those who reach out and to be proactive in my own outreach.
Good teaching starts with good relationships with students. We all remember that favorite teacher and it's generally because of how they made us feel. I don't remember a single thing I learned in Ms. Zodie's class but I will never forget how much she made me love school. Teachers who are excited about their content, make learning fun and interactive, but hold appropriate boundaries for students are the ones we are always hoping to grow.
I will go back to my answer about AI. This is an emerging issue that is very exciting for some teachers and very frustrating for others. This reminds me of the growing pains we experienced in schools when cell phones were available to everyone. We had to quickly implement policies and expectations for cell phone use in school, and we have CONTINUED to have to adjust and refine those policies and expectations to fit reality. AI, in my mind, is no different. The key to any good policy implementation is consistency. When one teacher allows cell phones in classes, when the school rule is NO CELL PHONES, then the policy is undermined and those enforcing it have a difficult time. We are on the cusp of integrating or accepting AI into our lives and I anticipate the same growing pains.
As for state and federal funding, we must make sure we are in close and frequent communication with our local and federal legislators and making sure our community is aware of where each funding stream comes from and what it is legally required to pay for. Local funding, such as bond issues and tax rates must be communicated and transparent, so our taxpayer base--who may or may not be parents in the community-- understands where their dollars are going, and that we seek input from them on priorities.
The principle that drives my policies for safety in schools is my care and concern that all students and staff are safe in school, while engaging in a warm and friendly environment. I do not want to over police or militarize our schools, but I do not want to overlook any opportunity to ensure or maintain physical, emotional, or social safety for students and staff.
That's not really the role of a board member but I will certainly champion the efforts of district leadership to do so.
I've never met a dad joke I didn't like. Even if I roll my eyes and groan---I love a good dad joke.
I do not have any policy changes or additions in mind. One practice that I love is that Maize offers BOE members an opportunity to swap positions with teachers and take the helm of their classes for a period of time. This is a great way to be accessible and get a feel for the environment in the schools.
The ideal environment for students to learn is one where they are ALL welcome. They must also be emotionally and physically safe to grow and make mistakes and learn about themselves as well as about the world around them. They must have capable and qualified teachers and staff who create the welcoming, nurturing environment.
I did not have children in school during the coronavirus pandemic and I was not employed in USD 266 at that time either.
Be visible and accessible to them. My children are adults so they will not be in classes or competing on teams or singing in choir concerts--but I can support the community by being present to support their children, and being accessible to hear their joys and concerns.
When I was a building principal, I searched for candidates, who may or may not have the most experience, but instead those with the most potential for growth.
It is absolutely critical to always maintain financial transparency and to hold our government accountable. If I am elected, I will be entirely accountable to my community of constituents. Feedback to our elected officials is one of the ways we can keep them informed as to whether or not they are keeping their promises and meeting our needs. I frequently contact my elected officials and I would welcome the same if elected.
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.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 25, 2025
