Robert Busby
Non-Partisan | Kansas
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Robert Busby
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2023
Election
General Municipal and School Board
Race
Manhattan-Ogden Public Schools USD 383, At Large
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance, 2015
WORK & MILITARY
US Army, Captain, 11
US Air Force, Technical Sergeant, 9
Air National Guard, Staff Sergeant, 8
US Department of Agriculture, Branch Chief, 3
AFFILIATIONS
Greater Kansas City Chapter of ISACA, Immediate Past President, Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism
State of Kansas Chapter Co-Chair, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Member
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Life Member, Green Valley Kansas Foundation
Executive Director, Manhattan Presbyterian Church, Member
National Rifle Association, Life Member, APSCA
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Pottawatomie County Republican Party District Committeeman, 1
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
OTHER INFORMATION
News Article
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Disagree
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
School districts should be able to use taxpayer money for lobbying the state legislature.
Neutral
School boards are directly accountable to the public they serve. Every penny comes from tax dollars and must be used responsibly for the maximum possible benefit of the education of the children in the district. With every dollar spent, we must ask, “how will this further our goals for our students to achieve academic excellence?”
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I have personally seen and benefitted from the difference that public K-12 education makes in the lives of children and I’ve lived through its power to stop cycles of generational poverty. Public education is funded by tax dollars and should be seen as an investment in our future with a high reward for the money invested. When children have education, they have opportunities. With opportunities opened by a sound education in the fundamentals, they have confidence to pursue their dreams. With opportunities and confidence, they have hope for their lives within the American way of life. Hopeful, confident, educated people are best equipped to grow peace and prosperity within their communities and around the world.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
School districts should not discriminate against individuals, organizations or small businesses because of their belief that marriage is only a union of one man and one woman.
Strongly Agree
EDUCATION
What is the function of the local school board?
The school board establishes the vision and policy of the district and is ultimately responsible for providing the necessary education opportunities to all children in the community. It is accountable to the public for the success or failure of the schools. To accomplish its mission, the board employs the superintendent of schools, monitors student achievement, and allocates appropriate resources to accomplish the district mission. It communicates clearly with all stakeholders (parents, taxpayers, administrators, legislators, to name a few), and is accountable to the public for the efficient use of public resources (taxes). The board advocates for students, families, and staff to get the public’s support in providing the resources required to operate the district successfully.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
The elected Board of Education has the authority and responsibility to approve curriculum and provide primary teaching resources, such as textbooks and online learning management systems. The do this in cooperative collaboration with experienced teachers, parents, and community members, operating within a committee appointed by the board. This does not and should not preclude teachers using their professional judgment and latitude to customize lessons without excessive bureaucratic overhead. Teachers are in the best position to innovate new and potentially better methods of instruction that remain avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and are relevant to the students in their classrooms. This approach recognizes teachers as trusted professionals and provides the board and community the opportunity to appropriately recognize and reward those teachers who succeed and apply those successful methods to coach, mentor, and develop other across the profession.
iVoterGuide Notes:
The candidate requested this statement be included correcting typing errors. "The elected Board of Education has the authority and responsibility to approve curriculum and provide primary teaching resources, such as textbooks and online learning management systems. They do this in cooperative collaboration with experienced teachers, parents, and community members, operating within a committee appointed by the board. This does not and should not preclude teachers using their professional judgment and latitude to customize lessons without excessive bureaucratic overhead. Teachers are in the best position to innovate new and potentially better methods of instruction that avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and are relevant to the students in their classrooms. This approach recognizes teachers as trusted professionals and provides the board and community the opportunity to appropriately recognize and reward those teachers who succeed and apply those successful methods to coach, mentor, and develop others across the profession."
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
Board of Education meetings are public meetings of an elected governing body. The meetings are held to conduct the business of the board, which include discussions of the policies relating to the education of children and the results of those policies. Understandably, parents and other community members are passionate about the education of children and it’s vital that the board receive direct input from all stakeholders. If there were an unfortunate situation where passions were inflamed to the point of a person making threats of physical violence, any reasonable person would agree that the person speaking needs time to cool off. As with any governing body, school boards must be able to conduct their business to meet their obligations to the students and the public. The American civic process only works when everyone involved adheres to basic rules of civility.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): Mathematics, Information Technology, Science, Political Activism, Personal Finances, Gender Identity, Physical Fitness, American History, Critical Race Theory, Language Arts, Art & Music, Vocational Learning, Sexuality, Foreign Language, Social Emotional Learning
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, American History, Art & Music, Physical Fitness, Personal Finances, Foreign Language, Information Technology, Vocational Learning
Which more closely matches your view of America's founding principles? A) Liberty and equality. B) Slavery and racism.
Liberty and equality
What does "equity in education" mean to you?
Every child should have real opportunity to acquire the tools, skills, knowledge, and abilities for success in life. Equity in education recognizes that there are places where we must apply greater resources and efforts to overcome greater challenges. It recognizes that some children have home lives that are less conducive to learning, that sometimes their parents also lack the acquired skills or knowledge to apply the tools of success. Equity in education also recognizes that there are whole communities stuck in generational poverty or significantly disparate socio-economic positions; the children in those communities have a higher hill to climb than the kids who live half-way up the hill, and this necessarily affects their respective views of life, including their perceptions of opportunities, their self-confidence, and their hope for their futures.
Written parental consent (opt-in) must be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Agree
Comprehensive Sex Ed should require specific opt-in consent on a form that details the scope and sequence and materials used in the course. Social Emotional Learning is a framework, not a course, driven by the Kansas State Department of Education’s Social-Emotional Character Development (SECD) Standards. Parents concerned about how SECD is applied in the classroom should review these standards and have a conversation with the teacher and principal to collaborate and discuss any opt-out needs.
The loss of local control in education is too high a price to pay in exchange for federal dollars.
Strongly Agree
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
School boards are accountable to parents and taxpayers.
Strongly Agree
Do you believe students should have access to materials that graphically depict and describe sexual acts?
No
Students should have access to age and grade appropriate materials that support the educational mission of the school. Some materials are obviously inappropriate for any school setting. There are other materials which have been in schools for decades, including the writings of Stephen King, which graphically depict and describe sexual acts (in one case, sexual acts among children). Parents must remain fully engaged with their children to direct their care, upbringing, and education.
All print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review.
Agree
I love the concept of open-source education materials but I'm a pragmatist and recognize that publishers own copyrights to their materials. For this reason, I believe parents have the right to review materials in the school building on appointment with the teacher or principal. There are some materials which are inappropriate to review ahead of time, especially quizzes and exams.
Do you believe print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review, including those without children enrolled in school.
Yes
I love the concept of open-source education materials but I'm a pragmatist and recognize that publishers own copyrights to their materials. For this reason, I believe members of the public have the right to review purchased materials on appointment made through the office of the superintendent.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. I believe that God created humanity for His glory and that every human should live for God’s glory. I believe that I am a sinner, that we all have sinned, have fallen short of God’s glory, and we therefore deserve punishment of eternal death. Even so, I believe that in God’s great mercy, He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to provide sinners the way of eternal life. I believe that I have nothing I can possibly do to affect my own salvation and that it is only possible that I came to have saving knowledge of Jesus through God’s grace and work through the Holy Spirit. I was baptized in a Southern Baptist Church in 1997, attended Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, but have not yet completed a Master of Divinity in Theology. I was licensed in the Gospel ministry in 2017. My wife and I are now in covenantal membership in a Presbyterian church.
I support allowing public high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Choose not to answer
The school board must follow the law and does not have authority to make policy in this question. Kansas law states, “Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex.” KSHSAA policy states, “Schools shall utilize information collected on the Preparticipation Physical Exam reflecting the sex identified at birth to determine which gender team is appropriate for respective students.”
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Choose not to answer
Schools are in the education business, not the sociological, psychological, or medical treatment business, and are not equipped to be involved in these decisions one way or the other. Alternative names could include nicknames (Is it okay to call Elizabeth by Liz, Libby, Beth, Betty, or Betsy?). I oppose both compelled and (most) prohibited speech.
No healthcare diagnosis or treatment, whether mental, reproductive, or otherwise, should be given to a child without first receiving written consent from the parent.
Agree
Schools are not in the general healthcare business but this question seems overly broad. While I agree with this statement, I would not want to stop a school nurse from providing life-saving Naloxone/Narcan to a child just because his parents, who didn't know he would experiment with a friend's Fentanyl-laced prescription medication, didn't sign a piece of paper.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
Ultimately, I believe parents are responsible, but I believe they should have the option to delegate this in writing at age-appropriate levels. Parents should receive full disclosure of the scope and sequence of the material and acknowledge their consent or refusal to permit their child to receive this instruction. Some material, such as the fundamentals of puberty, should begin as early as the 5th grade/10 years of age (see next response).
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- Physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods; consent; abstinence; sexual orientation and gender identity; human anatomy/the reproductive system; abortion methods and side effects; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; sex acts and pleasures of sex
Stages of sexual development - for example, girls should learn about menstruation, menstrual cycles, and hygiene products in the 5th grade, if not sooner; Human anatomy/the reproductive system; stages of pregnancy and fetal development; abstinence; consent; physical and emotional health outcomes; contraceptive methods.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
I believe this wholeheartedly but do not believe that it should be used to exclude those who do not agree from participation in our system of government or any other rights of citizenship.
I support allowing public middle and high school students to participate in athletic competition based on the gender with which they identify instead of biological sex.
Choose not to answer
The school board must follow the law and does not have authority to make policy in this question. Kansas law states, “Athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex.” KSHSAA policy states, “Schools shall utilize information collected on the Preparticipation Physical Exam reflecting the sex identified at birth to determine which gender team is appropriate for respective students.”
Biological males should be allowed in female locker rooms and bathrooms.
Choose not to answer
The school board must follow the law and does not have authority to make policy in this question. Kansas law, as enacted as enacted by Senate Bill 180 (2023), does not permit males to be in female locker rooms and bathrooms.
No school official should be involved in the social or medical transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Choose not to answer
Schools are in the education business, not the sociological, psychological, or medical treatment business and are not equipped to be involved in these decisions one way or the other. Alternative names could include nicknames (Is it okay to call Elizabeth by Liz, Libby, Beth, Betty, or Betsy?) and I oppose both compelled and (most) prohibited speech.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Neutral
If a person is properly and legally registered to vote and appears at the appointed place on the appointed day while the polls are open, they should not be denied the right to vote. As a cyber security expert who understands the principles of authentication, I know that there are multiple ways to authenticate a person's identity aside from a photo identification. Photo identification is one way, but it need not be the only way.
ABOUT YOU
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
A candidate's personal moral values are relevant when considering a candidacy for elective office.
Strongly Agree
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?
Conservative
What some people call "conservative" seems to border on radical libertarian/anarchist. I'm not that. I'm more of a Jack Kemp type "bleeding heart" conservative. I support supply side economics (Laffer Curve and all), a robust foreign policy that allies with and supports liberty-loving nations, and I demand strong religious and personal liberty, consistent with America's Bill of Rights.
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/aug/11/campaign-notebook-voters-brownback-rallies-voice-c/ https://themercury.com/news/retired-military-officer-files-for-usd-383-school-board-race/article_fc997af7-c728-58f3-a94a-a6c0a96e99ff.html https://1350kman.com/2023/01/busby-becomes-first-candidate-to-file-for-usd-383-board-race/
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I’m a fierce advocate for public education because I personally know its power to enable a person to overcome great obstacles and to break cycles of generational poverty. My mother grew up very poor and became pregnant with me when she was 14, before entering high school. I was born on her 15th birthday. In my school years, I moved several times, sometimes as many as 3 times in the same year. I never paid full price for a school lunch and most years paid nothing at all. My grades and behavior were such that I was in the statistical group least likely to succeed in college. I now hold a Master of Science in Information Security and Assurance and have declined to pursue doctoral studies to focus on other priorities. I could not have achieved any of this without the incredible public education I received. My desire is to give back, to lead, serve, and advocate for the system that enabled my success, in hopes that we can continue to create more success stories and reverse the trends that are straining public education in the present. Fun facts: I was a stay-at-home Dad for a couple of years and ran a home day care under the Air Force's Early Childhood Development program at Andrews Air Force Base. This is where I spent time training and working directly in early childhood development with children six weeks to nine years of age. From 2002-2005, I worked in Community College of the Air Force regionally accredited classrooms, teaching what we now call Career and Technical Education in Information Technology and doing curriculum development work as a subject matter expert. During that time, I earned the Occupational Instructor Certificate and completed training in several advanced instructional systems development methodologies. I've been a Certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator since 2011 and 2012, respectively. I served as a Cyber Network Defense Manager and Defensive Cyberspace Operations Plans officer in the US Army Cyber Protection Brigade from 2015 to 2019. After military retirement, I taught Cyber Threat Emulation and Discovery and Counter-Infiltration Methodologies at the Defense Cyber Investigations Training Academy and more recently I've taught for the University of Kansas's Cyber Security Bootcamp program under partnership with EdX Bootcamps. Today, I lead teams of information technology and cyber security professionals in a role where I am responsible for the operational and strategic planning to support critical governmental functions.
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 2022 Republican Primary 2022 General Election
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Disagree
I am a twice-deployed veteran, gun owner, concealed carry licensee, NRA life member and member of the KS Rifle Assoc. I disagree with this as a blanket statement. The district would need a policy that permits teachers specifically trained and certified for use of the carried weapon in a congested environment under stressful conditions. Shooting at a moving target under extreme stress is hard. Every round goes somewhere; I'd hate for it to find a kid. Teacher may get shot by responding officers.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
Schools should be allowed to require fully tested and approved vaccinations for common, highly infectious and severely harmful diseases. These include DTaP, MMR, and Polio. Exceptions should be granted where medically indicated. Exceptions should be available for religious or personal conviction with the caveat that the child will not be permitted to attend and must have an alternate education plan in the event of significant community spread of a disease for which the child is not vaccinated.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
All official open meetings should be live streamed, recorded, and have transcripts available online for public access.
Neutral
While modern technology makes this relatively trivial, I'm old fashioned enough to believe that if you're interested enough, you'll show up. I appreciate the modern convenience of live stream but recording and transcription require storage, which begs the questions, "for how long?" and "at what cost"? Are we willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars (or more) each year on the off chance that one person will want to review a recording two years later?
All votes should be roll call votes and recorded in meeting minutes.
Disagree
Robert's Rules of Order, which are the common foundation of most local government meetings, dictate that a member may call for division of the assembly. If a vote is unanimous, it's a waste of time to have a roll call vote when the meeting minutes will record unanimity and names of members present.
