Katie Cole
Garden City USD 457 School Board
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About the Office
Local school board members are responsible for overseeing school operations within the district, typically including employment decisions regarding a district superintendent.
Term Length
4 years
Election Date
Nov 4, 2025
About Me
Party
Independent
Occupation
Arts and Special Events Coordinator
Fun Fact
I love my chickens! My favorite thing to do in my free time is hang out with my clucky girls in my gardens, where I grow every kind of veggie amongst all the wild sunflowers that I let grow too; I admire their tenacity too much to even dream of pulling them.
Past Experience
I taught middle school for ten years. When you're alone in a room with 38 twelve year olds and you need to make sure that they leave that room having learned something, you get to be pretty good at managing chaos. You have to set realistic goals and expectations but be flexible and ready to pivot at any moment. I have a wall covered in notes from students plus three nominations for teaching awards that say I did a good job at that. Now I'm taking that experience to the political sphere, where I hope to apply my ability to get results to the world of educational policy.
My Top Issues
Invest in local public education
I am 100% pro-public education. I was homeschooled until high school, attended a private Christian high school, and taught at a charter school before becoming a public school teacher but even with my personal experiences in education I firmly believe that public education is the best way to ensure a better society for all of us.
Celebrating and promoting cultural diversity
Garden City, Kansas, is a community made of immigrants. We chose to open our arms to the world here and it has helped us grow while many rural communities are in decline. This reality should be reflected in the decisions made by our schools and the programs and policies we put in place.
Promoting conflict resolution and anti-bullying initiatives
As a teacher, I initiated efforts in USD 457 to implement Restorative Practices, a facet of Restorative Justice that aims to proactively promote community and expectations of mutual respect over reacting with punitive measures against wrong-doing.
Who I'm Running Against
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