Cathy Hopkins
Republican | Kansas
Candidate Profile*
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Cathy Hopkins
Party
Republican
Election Year
2022
Election
General
Race
State Board of Educ. 5th Dist.
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Garnett High School, Garnett, GED, 1982
WORK & MILITARY
I work at BP-Cleanrite in Hays. A janitorial supply and commercial cleaning company. I work and manage the store itself, ordering product as I maintain inventory and working closely with the owner and customers to ensure their needs are met to the best of our ability. The parent company, BP Textiles LLC, operating out of Damar, KS, provides uniform and mat servicing for over a 100 companies across western Kansas.
AFFILIATIONS
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
USD 489 School Board, 2021
OTHER INFORMATION*
Oct 2021 Hays NEA questionnaire submitted by candidate for the USD 489 school board election. Part 1.
Oct 2021 Hays NEA questionnaire submitted by candidate for the USD 489 school board election. Part 2.
*Cathy Hopkins is pro-life and supports VTB.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should abortion be allowed?
Because I support life before and after birth, I do not believe abortion is an elective alternative.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Governments should define marriage as between one man and one woman; no other definition of marriage should be legalized or supported with taxpayer or public funds.
Strongly Agree
The Ten Commandments should not be displayed in public school buildings or court houses.
Strongly Disagree
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
NATIONAL SECURITY
The best way to maintain peace is through a strong military.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
It is the government’s responsibility to ensure everyone has a livable income.
Strongly Disagree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
K-12 funding has better outcomes when local school boards control the academics, subject matter, and follow standards set by local members and (always) parents, not by the state/federal government. Effective Government is always closest to the people. The more government funding the more government involvement. We The People do not need more government in our lives and the lives of our children. Families are the foundation of our society, not the government. Our Founding Fathers knew the need for limited government. We have certainly seen the wisdom of this stance played out time and time again, especially in recent years. More government is Less Freedom of the People. The turning to government to answer needs, which always comes with strings attached, has increased confusion of our ideals and the breaking down of our values as a nation.
EDUCATION
Every state should mandate K-12 standardized tests and the use of teaching software which aligns with Common Core standards.
Strongly Disagree
Common Core is a top down regulatory based approach to teaching which undermines the ability of educators to meet children where they are and facilitate learning. The liberal Brookings Institute acknowledged as much in an article published last year titled "Why Common Core Failed".--American Institute for Learning and Human Development put out an article with 12 reasons Common Core is not good for children and schools. #12 speaks volumes -www.institute4learning.com/2018/04/26.........
Parents are the ultimate authority in their child’s education and should be able to freely pursue whatever educational options they deem best for their child.
Strongly Agree
Before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL), they must opt-in with written parental permission.
Strongly Agree
I am against these types of 'courses' being taught in our schools at all. Our schools should be education centers for academics.
I support the teaching of curricula (such as the 1619 Project, No Place for Hate, Second Step, etc.) that emphasizes slavery and racism as the foundation of American history.
Strongly Disagree
True American History should be taught, the good the bad and the beautiful. We are a nation that has made mistakes but we are 'the great experiment' that has outlasted them all. We should teach pride in country with truth and while acknowledging where wrong has occurred also exalting where right actions and ideals have prevailed. Freedom has come with a price. But freedom is worth it. Let us continue to battle for our freedoms as our fore fathers have done before us.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
Government should not be allowed to rule us in any arena of our lives. Limited government is very important to our way of life in the USA.
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Agree
Although I would add that extra training for these teachers would be necessary and possibly extra background checks so they could react well if confronted with the situations we've seen occur. I do believe Gun Free Zones only assist criminals to wreak havoc on the general public and our schools. Taking guns from law abiding citizens only empowers those who would seek to do harm.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Do you support mandatory vaccinations for children attending public school?
NO, again parents have the inherent right to decide the medical needs of their children.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
Masks are anti science, and real science proves they do harm to all who wear them; in every area of life. Mandates drive fear, which is the goal of those in the top levels of our government who are imposing them upon the public while ignoring these mandates themselves.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
Did not answer
Have you ever been convicted of a felony or been penalized in either civil or criminal court for sexual misconduct? If so, please explain.
NO
What books have had the most profound impact on your view of life?
In all honesty, The Bible has been my most treasured book over 3 plus decades. The impact the Word of God has had on my life is hard to quantify. I have many specific places in scripture that have been especially personal to me, one book in particular is Paul's letter to the Ephesians. As Paul instructs through Holy Spirit of who we are in Christ; as well as the book of Colossians.
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I would like to address my ‘formal’ education answer at the beginning of the questionnaire. I left high school at the end of my junior year (with a 3.8 gpa) due to pregnancy. Unfortunately several members of my family wanted me to abort my child; stating it was the right thing to do at my age. However, I knew that would be taking a life. I also knew I would never forgive myself, or them, if I did. I raised my children, primarily in Hays, through some difficult times. I worked hard to be involved in their schooling and was Home & School president at the elementary school level. I started and ran my own window cleaning business here in Hays which afforded me the ability to take and pick up my children from school. After 9 years I closed that business and worked for the Hays Chamber of Commerce, learning so much about my community in the role I had there. After moving to Olathe, KS I acquired a job with a law firm in Overland Park and worked there for 9 years as the admin and support staff for, up to five, wonderful attorneys. During this time I was asked to train new hires for other law offices in the growing law firm, traveling across the nation to do so. I was also promoted to co-supervisor of the 30 admin staff of the firm across all 3 time zones while simultaneously fulfilling my role in the physical law office in Overland Park. It was an amazing learning/growing experience for me. The next 6 years found me in Spokane, WA where I became the Executive Director for a world wide ministry. Upon my husband’s retirement from his successful career as a project and regional sales manager we came back to Kansas and ended up settling in Hays, which while I did not grow up here as a child, has always been where I call home. I am a firm believer that every person’s education can take a very different path. Mine was not the formal path of college but it was education none the less and I believe has brought many successes in my life. I say all this to say, I believe education is so much more then a straight line from high school to college to career. I believe we are to be life long learners, always striving to grow as individuals, in our relationships and to learn more about our communities and seek to make them a better place to live for the next generation. Children need to know they are unique and special. We can help them build strong foundations to spring board from K-12 to life long learners no matter their chosen paths.
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2014 Republican Primary 2014 General Election 2016 Republican Primary 2016 General Election 2018 Republican Primary 2018 General Election 2020 Republican Primary 2020 General Election
VALUES
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I add in a quote: John Adams, a Founding Father and President of the United States, stated, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” This is true because our Constitution (as well as the Declaration of Independence) was crafted by a religious people for a religious people. Read in many places but taken from: https://www.fsunews.com/story/opinion/2021/10/31/united-states-founded-judeo-christian-values/6215716001/
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Strongly Disagree
Biology is real science and we know males and females are very different in every way, including physical body structure and muscle mass. There is no fairness in sports when this is allowed to happen. Women's/Girls' sports came about for a reason.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe the Holy Scriptures are the inerrant Word of The Living God. I believe God's Word establishes the foundation needed for a strong society where freedom to choose is essential. Christianity is not a forced option, as the truth it brings freedom, not slavery. We do not seek to enslave anyone to an ideal in which they do not agree. The Rule of Law is a part of God's Word and each person has the freedom to choose his/her own path. As a Christian I believe we can affect society inside the bounds of liberty and justice for all with great grace and mercy. I believe a Biblical worldview allows our societies to flourish without forcing beliefs on anyone. Safeguarding our freedoms is essential while maintaining an environment of safety through our republic and its laws to guard and protect people from preborn to death.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Strongly Agree
I want to emphasize that our schools are not healthcare facilities or mental health facilities but rather education centers for teaching critical thinking processes and academics. Math, English, true History and Sciences are essential needs for every individual to have a strong base to build upon. Our children are not property of the state or medical industry. Our schools should be havens of learning.
