(Editor’s Note–Estabrook is a Manhattan resident who is running for KSBE District 6 which includes Rooks, Russell, Osborne and Smith Counties as well as a portion of Phillips County.)
I’m Aaron Estabrook, an Independent candidate for the Kansas Board of Education. I’m not beholden to party politics, but rather, a commitment to give you a voice and to stand up to the ideologues ignoring the Kansas Constitution’s role in ensuring a suitable education for Kansas children.
Right now, Kansans are waking up to the radical policies coming out of Topeka that have threatened our way of life. These policies target folks like you and me who work hard, play by the rules and only want a fair shot at achieving the American Dream.
Two experiences more than any other have instilled in me a deep unwavering commitment to public education:
First, my 1-year deployment on the front lines in Afghanistan. During the day, we worked to stabilize local villages and helped build schools. During the night, we fought the Taliban to keep those same villages safe. As I spent months with local Afghans and met their children, I was awed by their potential and alarmed by their destiny of extreme poverty and brutal tyranny absent access to an education. Education matters. While our young people don’t face the same challenges as the Afghan children I met, the need for learning is just as great. And it’s being threatened by the Kansas brand of ideologues who threaten to limit resources and stifle opportunity for all kids.
I have and will continue to stand up to them.
Second, watching my own daughters grow, explore, and learn. Young children truly are like sponges. Kansas needs to open itself up to early education, a long-proven benefit to ensuring successful adults. It’s shocking that for 17 years Oklahoma has guaranteed access to high quality preschool for all four year olds while Kansas has dragged its feet. It is my top priority that all four year olds in Kansas have access to preschool.
My goals as a State Board of Education member are outlined on the next page. Of course, I can’t accomplish these goals without getting elected and it takes money to educate voters about my candidacy.
As an Independent, my campaign requires significant funds in order to reach the amount of people I will need to win. Fortunately, I do have a strong campaign plan and it is clear that this campaign is very winnable but it does require me to communicate with more than 180,000 voters through a combination of direct mail, digital marketing, phone calls, radio, and most important, door-knocking.
Please consider donating $50, $100, or anything up to $1000 to the campaign to make sure I am able to reach the voters we need to have success on November 8th.
Make checks payable to:
Estabrook for Education
2315 Timberlane Drive
Manhattan, KS 66502
Early Education for All
High-quality early education for all Kansas four-year-olds must be a priority. Those who experience quality early learning have better education, health, social and economic outcomes in life – increasing their productivity and reducing the need for spending later on. Every dollar invested in quality early education for disadvantaged children provides taxpayers a 7-10 percent return on that investment per year.
The overwhelming evidence shows that children who enter kindergarten unprepared are likely to remain behind throughout their educational careers and beyond. These achievement gaps are difficult and expensive to close with K-12 education alone. We can help ensure children show up to kindergarten ready to learn by providing our youngest learners with access to high-quality early childhood programs where they can develop the full range of skills necessary to succeed in school.
Civic Engagement
To ensure the health of our democracy, every student must learn and experience the fundamental ideas, principles and values of our nation to graduate ready for the responsibilities of citizenship. We must provide all students with a high-quality, engaging and thorough civic learning experience that includes meaningful community service and leadership engagement.
Individual Plans of Study for Every Kansas Student
As students enter our public schools, they — along with their parents and classroom teachers — need to collaboratively develop individual plans of study. These plans must be student-driven and remain flexible as children move closer to identifying their path to college or careers. It is essential that all Kansas students set educational goals and create individualized plans for success in high school and beyond.
World Class Standards
Kansas educators already do more with less than anyone else in America. Once districts are provided equitable and adequate funding for public education we must strive to provide world class experiences for students that produce the next generation of college and career leaders. I fully support the current Kansas and College Career Ready standards.
Professional Educators
Kansas educators are professionals and should always be treated as such. Students deserve a caring, qualified teacher in every classroom. We must identify system-wide ways to recruit and retain great teachers through attractive incentives to include programs that provide support for new teachers and professional development of our career teachers. The State Board of Education has a responsibility to provide oversight of public education and this must include being vocal champions of great Kansas teachers.