Ken Carpenter
Non-Partisan | Kansas
Candidate Profile
Conservative (Conditional)
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Ken Carpenter
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2023
Election
General Municipal and School Board
Race
Wichita USD 259 Board of Education, Dist. 3
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Kansas State University, Wichita, MET, 1987
Kansas State University, Wichita, BA, 1993
WORK & MILITARY
Candidate did not provide
AFFILIATIONS
Pathway Church, Childrens Ministry, Usher Captain, and Logistics Coordinator, Kansas GOP Committee
Canvassing for Candidates, Maize High School, Marching Band Field Trip Guardian
Robinson Middle School, String Orchestra Field Trip Guardian, Boy Scouts of America
Camping Trip Guardian, Union Rescue Mission, Certified Food Handler in Cafeteria
Venue 3130 - Dance Instruction, Assisted as a Dance Instructor
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (1)
Kansans for Life PAC
OTHER (1)
Culture Shield Action Inc.
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (1)
Kansans For Life
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Campaign Finance Reports
OTHER INFORMATION
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.
Strongly Disagree
Members of the school district can get a message to legislators via email, phone call, or by simply sending a physical letter.
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
K-12 public schools are part of a local government operation. Funding for those schools should only come from the local community. When the federal government gets involved they tend to have strings attached which support their agenda and those requirements may be counter-productive to the academic learning process. Monetary coercion to push a political ideology is what we see happening today in many schools and society is suffering because test scores are low, bad behavior is rampant, and good teachers are getting fed up. What happens at the college level is beyond the scope of my concern at this time.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
At school, students should be able to speak freely and civilly about matters of conscience and faith, including Christianity.
Strongly Agree
As Americans freedom of speech is our 1st amendment right. As long as we're being civil about it, nobody is getting harmed.
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?
As representatives of all effected parties the school board has a responsibility to establish the vision and goals for all schools within their system, to accept, deny or suggest modifications to budget and/or policy proposals, and to hire an effective superintendent who will oversee the implementation of their objectives in an efficient and effective manner.
Who should have the authority to set curriculum and determine resources used in those curricula?
Ultimately the superintendent should be the authority over the curriculum. Their decision should also reflect the will of parents and teachers and abide by the vision and goals as set forth by the school board.
When should parents be restricted from speaking in school board meetings?
I would encourage parents to speak up about concerning or praiseworthy matters and they should be allowed to do so during an assigned period so long as they can do so in a civil manner.
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, Information Technology, Art and Music, Physical Fitness, Personal Finances, Vocational Learning, Foreign Language
Which more closely matches your view of America's founding principles? A) Liberty and equality. B) Slavery and racism.
A
What does "equity in education" mean to you?
Equity in education means educators need to be able to identify with each of their students levels of academic development and use the tools or programs at their disposal to assist those who are lagging behind so that they do not get left behind. This effort aims to provide all students with equal opportunity so that when they graduate they will be able to lead a fruitful and contribute to society.
Written parental consent (opt-in) must be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Ed (CSE) or Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Strongly Agree
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
All print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review.
Agree
Textbook publishers and digital media producers most likely will not allow their work to be easily accessible to the general public. Therefore it makes sense to keep copies in the school library so that any adult can go to the library and view it at leisure but the material must remain in the library.
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
Textbook publishers and digital media producers most likely will not allow their work to be easily accessible to the general public. Therefore it makes sense to keep copies in the school library so that any adult can go to the library and view it at leisure but the material must remain in the library.
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I believe Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins. He later arose and ascended into heaven where he resides at the right hand of His Father, our God. I believe all people are born as sinners but if we are mindful of this, keep it to a minimum, and love others as He loves us then God may bless us with His grace as we continue in our journey.
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
No school official should be involved in the sexual transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Agree
If a student wants to be referred to by a name other that which they have written down on their enrolment form then a school official should be required to contact the parents, primary parent, or legal guardian and get their permission to get the name changed for all intents and purposes within the school. School officials should not get involved in the sexual transitioning of a student.
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
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
How a student gets educated about sexual education is a parents prerogative. They may want to educate their child about this sensitive material at home. If the school is offering a sexual education course then it should be a parents right to opt In to let their child attend. They should not be required to opt out. The "opting in" option is more of a fail safe approach. That way the school will not move forward without consent.
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
Physical and emotional outcomes, contraceptive methods, consent, abstinence, human anatomy/the reproductive system, abortion methods and side effects, stages of pregnancy and fetal development, and the joy and pride of successful family planning and preparation before ever getting pregnant.
Judeo-Christian values established a framework of morality that is necessary for our system of limited government.
Strongly Agree
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.
Strongly Disagree
Current Kansas law identifies a female as someone who is born with reproductive organs. If the birth certificate says they're a female then we will identify the person as a female. Likewise for the male. If the school and parents want to allow women to play mens sports or vice versa then I support it. I've seen young ladies do quite well as wreslers.
Biological males should be allowed in female locker rooms and bathrooms.
Strongly Disagree
Current Kansas law identifies a female as someone who is born with reproductive organs. If the birth certificate says they're a female then we will identify the person as a female. Likewise for the male. Therefore each student must use the appropriate restroom.
No school official should be involved in the social or medical transitioning of a student, including the use of alternative names and pronouns.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
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
Please provide publicly available information, including interviews and media reports, validating your answer to the previous question (other than your website).
https://kflpac.org/announced-endorsements-primary-2023/
Is there anything else you would like voters to know about you?
I am a healthy, self-sufficient man. I can fix my own car and my own house. I enjoy dancing with the ladies in the dance society when time permits. However, lately I haven't done that because I've become very concerned about the welfare of our country. That's why I have stepped up on a local level to offer my service and lend a hand in protecting our rights. I believe our children are being psychologically attacked with perverse ideologies in the schools and I want the damage to stop.
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
Choose not to answer
2ND AMENDMENT
Teachers who are licensed to carry should be allowed to carry guns at school.
Agree
I like the idea of someone carrying a gun at the school. I would prefer to see it be an officer. We have to worry about teachers being able to stand their ground. Therefore, additional training in self defense should be a requirement. Designating schools as no gun zones makes them a target for attack. If a criminal knows there's potential resistence they with be reluctant to attack.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
Under what circumstances (if any) should schools be allowed to require vaccinations?
Before any vaccine is required it should be FDA approved, not just authorized for emergency use. It would have to reveal all of its contents and it should not be altering a persons DNA. There should also be statistical evidence from a long term study which proves its effectiveness along with peer reviewed studies to confirm the data.
I support mask mandates.
Strongly Disagree
I will assume we are talking about face masks for a virus outbreak. The type of face mask required for protecting a person from an airborne virus is very restrictive and looks more like a gas mask. This is because virus particles are infinitely small it takes super tight filtration to prevent entry. Almost all children have superior immune systems to protect them so no mask is necessary.
All official open meetings should be live streamed, recorded, and have transcripts available online for public access.
Strongly Agree
All votes should be roll call votes and recorded in meeting minutes.
Strongly Agree
