Five of the ten Kansas State Board of Education seats will be contested in the August 6th primary. 

In the 1st district, Janet Waugh, Democratic incumbent from Kansas City, Kansas, will be challenged by Hershel Martin, also of Kansas City. (No Republicans filed for that position.) 

(1) Janet Waugh voted in 2001 for the new writing-team’s science standards that restore testing on evolution of species, big bang, old age of the Earth, and other important scientific studies. These were produced by the science standards writing team composed of 26 educators, scientists, and curriculum experts, based on guidelines from the National Science Foundation.

(2) The Kansas City Star reports that Waugh says Martin asked her not to vote for those writing-team science standards. Martin stated that he does not think that evolution should be taught unless other "theories" are allowed as well.

 (3) In the 3rd district, conservative Republican John Bacon is opposed by moderate Forrest Weddle. In 1999, Bacon voted for creationist-inspired science standards that removed evolution of species, big bang, old age of the earth, and other subjects considered important by scientists. These ‘standards’ were largely written by the Creation Science Association of Mid-America.

(4) Weddle has expressed satisfaction with the current 2001 writing-team science standards. 

(5) I. B. ‘Sonny’ Rundell, of Syracuse, will be challenged by Connie Morris of St. Francis, in the 5th district. Incumbent Rundell voted for the writing-team standards in the 2001 vote, and opposed creationist-inspired standards that were established in 1999.

(6) In a May 30 statement in the Johnson County Sun, challenger Morris suggests a desire to revisit science standards to "…provide students access to all commonly accepted theories of earth’s and mankind’s origin." Intelligent design creationists regularly request the teaching of "all theories" with regard to evolution. A July 15th story in the Kansas City Star reports that Morris would support the teaching of intelligent design, but not the teaching of creationism.

(7) Harrold Voth, of the 7th district, did not file for re-election, and three candidates vie for his position. Voth voted for the creationist standards in 1999.

(8) Two Republicans entered the primary, and a Democrat is unopposed—all from Hutchinson.

 Republican Sam Kepfield’s only comments on science issues are that he supports letting local school boards decide whether to teach evolution. (However this would make meeting QPA science testing standards difficult unless evolution was removed from statewide science standards, since students would be tested on those subjects.) The Johnson County Sun article of May 30 describes Kepfield as supporting school choice, vouchers, home schools and charter schools.

(9) Kenneth Willard suggests that he would revisit the science standards issue and favors the 1999 creationist-inspired standards. The May 30 Sun article quotes Willard "Those standards were a step toward academic freedom rather than schools being forbidden (to teach creationism)." The Kansas City Star reports that Willard said he would vote the same as Voth, to downplay evolution. 

(10) Duane Anstine, unopposed in the 7th district Democratic primary, also of Hutchinson, says he would not revisit the evolution issue. He will face the Republican winner November 6th. 

Ninth district incumbent Val DeFever of Independence is challenged by Iris Van Meter in the Republican primary.

(11) DeFever voted for writing team science standards in 2001. 

(12) In the July 15th story in the Kansas City Star, Van Meter declined comment on evolution. Van Meter also did not answer questions posed by Mainstream Coalition on the subject.