LeEtta Felter
Ballotpedia provides comprehensive election coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population as well as mayoral, city council, and district attorney election coverage in state capitals outside of the 100 largest cities. This board member is outside of that coverage scope and does not receive scheduled updates.
LeEtta J. Felter was a District 1 representative on the Olathe Public Schools USD 233 Board of Education in Kansas. She was first elected to the board in April 2011. Felter won re-election in the general election in 2019. She resigned from the board in March 2023.[1]
Felter participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates.
Biography
Felter has lived in Olathe since 1994. She and her husband own a chain of truck and equipment dealerships. They also farm together. Two of her three children currently attend Olathe Public Schools, and her oldest child graduated from Olathe East High School in 2013.[2]
Elections
2015
Four seats were up for election on April 7, 2015. A primary election for the at-large Position 7 seat was held March 3, 2015.
Position 1 incumbent LeEtta Felter defeated challenger Jim Poe in her re-election bid, while Position 2 incumbent Richard Schier retained his seat without facing opposition. Shannon Wickliffe won the Position 4 seat as she was the only candidate to file for the open seat.[3]
Four candidates filed for the open at-large Position 7 seat: Joe Beveridge, Scott Enge, Robyn Essex, and Elizabeth Howerton.[3] Because more than three candidates filed for the position, a primary election was held. Essex and Beveridge advanced to the general election, where Beveridge won the seat.
Results
| Olathe Public Schools USD 233, District 1 Position 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2015 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  LeEtta Felter Incumbent |
69.1% | 4,563 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jim Poe | 30.8% | 2,034 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 10 | |
| Total Votes | 6,607 | |||
| Source: Johnson County Election Office, "Election Summary Report 2015 Spring General," April 13, 2015 | ||||
Funding
Felter reported $3,152.94 in contributions and $3,152.94 in expenditures to the Johnson County Election Office, which left her campaign with no cash on hand in this election.[4]
Endorsements
Felter was endorsed by The Kansas City Star.[5]
2011
| Olathe Public Schools USD 233, District 1 Position 1 General Election, 4-year term, 2011 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | LeEtta Felter |
50.6% | 3,381 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michele Lockwood | 49.2% | 3,285 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.2% | 13 | |
| Total Votes | 6,679 | |||
| Source: Johnson County Elections, "Election Summary Report 2011 Spring General," April 11, 2011 | ||||
Campaign themes
2015
Ballotpedia survey responses
Felter participated in Ballotpedia's 2015 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | I am the current President of the Olathe School Board. My priority would be to continue to work hard to make sure that our district remains the outstanding K-12 district that it is and to continually improve.[6] | ” |
| —LeEtta Felter (2015)[7] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Kansas. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Improving college readiness | |
| Closing the achievement gap | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Improving education for special needs students | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Expanding career-technical education | |
| Expanding school choice options | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer 10 questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column of the following table:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| "They have already been implemented in Kansas." | |
| "Not a district function...a state function." | |
| "No." | |
| "They are one measurement tool and should never be the only tool to measure achievement." | |
| "The Olathe School District works hard to ensure equity throughout the district. In general, equal opportunities are ensured by distributing and targeting district resources appropriately while providing greater decision making authority and flexibility to schools and teachers. Our community has a strong 'team' approach with the district and surrounds the most vulnerable schools/students with partnerships with local businesses, churches and individuals who plug in and help in a variety of ways. It's an ongoing dynamic process to meet the ever changing needs in our district." | |
| "Expulsion should be used for serious offenses to ensure the safety of other students as well as the integrity of education at district schools." | |
| "In the Olathe School District an intervention with a vulnerable school would occur prior to it 'failing'. The Title 1 schools in our district are likely the most vulnerable and already have built in support systems in place to provide for the additional needs and challenges presented by a Title 1 school. The answer lies within the community not just the school district. Our community has never failed to step up to the plate and help out when a need is known. If a school fails many many students suffer and their futures are impacted greatly. Our community simply wouldn't allow this to happen. Our district wouldn't allow this to happen." | |
| "I think there should be flexibility to provide monetary rewards for our highest performing teachers who go the extra mile." | |
| "There is an excellent system in place for struggling teachers. Teachers are our strength and we invest in them continually. Many chances to excel are provided before they face non-renewl." | |
| "In Olathe we enjoy an excellent community-school board relationship. However, to continue to improve even more we must seek transparency, continual communication, build trust and confidence. We are charged with the care and training of our community's biggest treasure...our children. This is one of the highest honors and responsibilities. We must continually include our community in our processes. We must listen!" |
Facebook campaign page
Felter provided the following statement on her Facebook campaign page:
| “ | These past four years of service on the board have been very enlightening and challenging. The complicated intricacies of K-12 education (funding, teaching and learning, school nutrition, poverty, diversity of needs, and so much more) require constant study to fully understand the impact on our unique school district. While I don't claim to be an expert on public education, I do work hard to know as much as possible and I communicate and advocate for Olathe Public Schools with all my heart. I consider myself a champion of public education in Olathe and I take that role very seriously.
Last year I was honored to serve as the Vice President of our board, and this year I am serving as President of the school board. It has been one of my highest honors to serve such an amazing district and I humbly ask for your vote.[6] |
” |
| —LeEtta Felter's Facebook campaign page (2015)[8] | ||
See also
- Olathe Public Schools USD 233, Kansas
- Olathe Public Schools USD 233 elections (2015)
- Hot tub Gatorade, turnout in Peoria and the Wisconsin state budget... (April 8, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Fox4, "Long-time Olathe school board member resigns, district to fill vacant seat," March 24, 2023
- ↑ Olathe Public Schools, "Meet Our Board of Education," accessed February 11, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Johnson County Election Office, "Candidates - Spring 2015 Unofficial Listing," accessed January 28, 2015
- ↑ Johnson County Elections Office, "Campaign & Committee Reports," accessed June 1, 2015
- ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Editorial: Strong school leaders needed in stormy times," March 24, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2015, "LeEtta Felter's responses," February 12, 2015
- ↑ Facebook, "LeEtta Felter for Olathe School Board: Wall Post," February 9, 2015
