Laura Wagner

Laura Wagner

Nonpartisan

Candidate, North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education

North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2026

Years in position

2

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

April 4, 2023

Next election

April 7, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1998

Laura Wagner is an at-large member of the North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education. She assumed office on April 11, 2023. Her current term ends in 2026.

Wagner is running for re-election for an at-large seat of the North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education. She is on the ballot in the general election on April 7, 2026.^[source]

Biography

Laura Wagner earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 1998.

Elections

2026

See also: North Kansas City Schools, Missouri, elections (2026)

General election

The general election will occur on April 7, 2026.

General election for North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education (2 seats)

Incumbent Karee Gleason-Miller (Nonpartisan), incumbent Laura Wagner (Nonpartisan), and Jason Russell (Nonpartisan) are running in the general election for North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education on April 7, 2026.

		Candidate
		Karee Gleason-Miller (Nonpartisan)
		Laura Wagner (Nonpartisan)
		Jason Russell (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2023

See also: North Kansas City Schools, Missouri, elections (2023)

General election

General election for North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education (2 seats)

Laura Wagner and incumbent Karee Gleason-Miller defeated Brian Mercer, Josiah Bechthold, and Maren Stoflet in the general election for North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education on April 4, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Laura Wagner (Nonpartisan)	35.3	5,853
✔		Karee Gleason-Miller (Nonpartisan)	24.0	3,987
		Brian Mercer (Nonpartisan)	21.2	3,517
		Josiah Bechthold (Nonpartisan)	14.1	2,348
	Submit photo	Maren Stoflet (Nonpartisan)	5.4	898

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 16,603
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Frances Yang (Nonpartisan)

2022

See also: North Kansas City Schools, Missouri, elections (2022)

General election

General election for North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for North Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education on April 5, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Wartick (Nonpartisan)	22.2	4,256
✔		Terry Ward (Nonpartisan)	22.0	4,219
		Laura Wagner (Nonpartisan)	13.5	2,576
		Duane Bartsch (Nonpartisan)	11.9	2,280
		Josiah Bechthold (Nonpartisan)	11.1	2,115
		Frances Yang (Nonpartisan)	10.9	2,090
		Susan Hines (Nonpartisan)	6.7	1,280
		Andrew Corrao (Nonpartisan)	1.7	322

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 19,138
= 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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2023

Laura Wagner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Laura Wagner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wagner's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Laura Wagner. I am running for the North Kansas City School Board to retain our teachers, to provide career opportunities for students and to support our public schools. A free, quality education for every child is important for our community and our future. Now more than ever, teachers and staff need our support, and our students deserve every opportunity to succeed. Experience: I served for five years on the North Kansas City School District Education Foundation Board in various roles, including Chair, reviewing and grading both grant and scholarship applications and hearing about efforts made by NKCSD teachers, librarians and staff to educate and inspire students. I currently serve on the Industry Executive Council (IEC) for the District, introducing future career options to both students and teachers as the new Pathways program is developed, tying the Portrait of a Graduate work to actual careers after school.

I have worked as a marketing and communications professional in Kansas City for over 25 years, and currently work as the Executive Director for the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET), helping contractors signatory with the Laborers' Union find work so the members can stay working.

My husband Scott and I have two boys who attend school in the District. We live in Kansas City, MO in the Northland.

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?

• I support strong public schools.
• Students need opportunities and future careers.
• Teachers need our support.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about education for all. I believe strong public schools provide an educated society and every employer needs to hire people with skills. While soft skills - empathy and the ability to work together are important and are also a part of a public education, basic math, reading and writing are the first expectation of all employers, parents and school districts. There is a push to defund public schools and as a society, it would be to our detriment to allow that to happen.

Our students deserve equity in school - with each classroom having access to the same superior learning tools and technology. Our teachers should be allowed to work with smaller classes, giving more time to each student. They should receive good wages and benefits, and be allowed to provide innovative learning experiences to engage students.

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

I believe integrity and empathy are key characteristics for any elected official.

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

It should be obvious, but they need to adhere to the Missouri School Board Association rules, including being an advocate for public schools.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

A Board Member does the work to sustain the mission of the North Kansas City School District: As champions for students, North Kansas City Schools’ mission is to ensure that all are life-ready and ethically grounded in an ever-changing world through innovative educational experiences that: Inspire Lifelong Learning, Embrace Inclusion and Forge a Unified Community. The Board does this in various ways.

Who are your constituents?

The students first, teachers, and the community who voted for me.

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Regular meetings, listening sessions and additional outreach. I plan to make my email and phone number available to all who might want to contact me with questions and concerns. I am available to listen.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

I am involved in my community now with the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce and other community and church activities. I will continue these meetings and include PTA meetings, neighborhood meetings, and more to stay in touch with the people in the District.

Do you believe it is important to intentionally recruit with the aim of diversifying the district’s faculty, staff, and administration? If so, what would be your policy to achieve this?

The North Kansas City School District is the second-largest district in Missouri. Due to its size, it is actively hiring now and has had a recruitment campaign in place for some time. There are referral programs in place for teachers to bring in others who might be looking. I know there is an active effort to bring in a diverse mix of teachers - especially for schools with a diverse population. There are over 26 different languages spoken at our North Kansas City High School alone.

What issues get in the way of quality education? How would you address these obstacles?

While I know every parent wants what is best for their children - partisan politics has become increasingly the greatest issue. The same issues that are cropping up in other states - controversial books in libraries, mask ordinances, critical race theory - are topics of concern, even without knowing the details in the North Kansas City School District. At this time, each parent who signs up to speak at a Board meeting is given three minutes to speak. This should continue. Public information regarding what is actually in the libraries, what the policies are and why, and the definition of terms (like CRT) should continue. Letting people know what their fears are vs. what is happening in their school district should help.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

Successful teaching means successful students. When students learn, the teacher has succeeded. However, we need to make sure teachers are set up for that success - smaller classrooms, flexibility when it comes to innovative learning, more administrative support, will help teachers. While testing is the standard to measure learning, it cannot be the only benchmark. Goal setting by teachers and self-determination/peer determination to see if these goals have been met should also come into the measurement for success.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

As a union member, I strongly support trade schools, vocational schools, and apprenticeship programs. The North Kansas City School District has some partnerships now with the local Community Colleges to offer dual programs, providing college credit in tandem with high school credit hours. The vocational school has a partnership with the District as well. It would be nice to see increased involvement from additional vocational/technical schools going forward. The NCAPS program to set students up for internships is doing well and seeing additional business partners added to this program would be fantastic.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

I am grateful for those who lobby for public schools now and make sure our legislators know the hard work the schools are doing - feeding and educating students daily. I will do all I can to support their efforts and rally the public to do the same.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

I want to make sure students, staff and teachers are safe. I support the use of School Resource Officers (Sheriff's Deputies) in place at all schools - including elementary. I know they work hard to make sure they are a resource for students and not a barrier for anyone.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

Mental health concerns are becoming the largest issue facing schools. For teachers and staff facing burnout, I want to consider flexible opportunities such as job sharing and other shifts so the workload is lighter, but we don't lose anyone. For students, we want to continue to make sure we have resources needed to find hope each day. There are a number of innovative ideas provided by librarians and other staff for quiet rooms and spaces, and activity zones that focus attention and provide a moment's mental peace. I want to continue to see creative thinking for each school.

What role do you imagine technology playing in (and outside) the classroom in the future? How would you prepare the district for this?

Our North Kansas City School District is really doing well when it comes to technology for all students. I am grateful to know it is there for in-person and virtual learning. I do want to see it used for education and not for distraction. I do want to address phone and earbud use in classrooms.

What are your views on how to address schooling during pandemic times?

Technology and access to it really have made a difference during the pandemic's peak. I know the virtual learning days are still not perfect, but students are learning how to budget their time and work from home - which is something many adults are already doing. I am grateful for the NKC School District making sure each student had access to either an iPad or a Chromebook prior to the pandemic.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district? What plans do you have to be inclusive of parental involvement?

PTA meetings will be a large part of the outreach necessary to know what is happening in each school. My contact information is posted and I am always ready to stay in touch with anyone who wants to talk.

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