Re-Elect Eric Boyle

Spring Hill School Board

Parent + Teacher + Board Member + Proven Leadership

About image
About Eric Boyle

Eric and his wife, Lorinda, have lived in the Spring Hill School District since 1994. He was the head swim coach for Olathe North High School and the Olathe Cyclones Swim Club, coached Recreational baseball, softball, boys & girls soccer for his kids in Spring Hill. Their son & daughter both graduated from Spring Hill High School and currently attend college.

Eric is a former teacher of Physics, Applied Physics and Applied Biology & Chemistry at Spring Hill High School. He has a B.S.E. Degree from the University of Kansas in Middle/Secondary Education and is currently serving in his sixteenth year on the Spring Hill Board of Education.

Board Member Accomplishments

Why I Serve image
I am very proud of the accomplishments of our district during my 16 years serving on the Spring Hill Board of Education. As a teacher at Spring Hill High School back in 2000 the atmosphere in the high school and the district was toxic. Teacher salaries were near poverty levels, teacher turnover rates were unsustainable, faculty and staff felt that they were not getting any support from the administration and students suffered. Just before Christmas break a group of teachers gathered in the high school library to try to find a solution. It was at that meeting that I decided to give my notice and vowed to run for the board to do what I could to make a difference. I won the 2001 election and have been working toward that goal ever since.

For years Spring Hill was seen as a "Farm Club" for our neighboring districts - a place where great new teachers would get a few years of experience and then move on to Olathe, Blue Valley, Gardner, or Shawnee Mission where they could get an instant pay raise of thousands of dollars because our salary schedule was so low. To make matters worse, the community didn't trust the district, and the district was growing but could not pass a bond issue to accommodate the growth. Bonds failed to pass in 2000 and 2001 so crowding was becoming an issue as well.

Since joining the board I have fought to improve these issues and through a continued focus we now have a competitive salary schedule, teacher turnover is lower than it has been in years, employee satisfaction is up and our students are performing better than ever. Through greater communication and transparency we have built trust with the community, passed two consecutive bond issues, built Prairie Creek Elementary, Wolf Creek Elementary, Spring Hill High School, remodeled Spring Hill Elementary and Spring Hill Middle School, converted Hilltop Elementary to house our Virtual School (Insight School of Kansas), and expanded Prairie Creek Elementary. Our most recent bond was the largest in the history of Spring Hill and we did that without raising the mill levy! We are in the process of building our fourth elementary school (Timber Sage), expanding Spring Hill High School, completing the athletic complex,  and preparing to build our second Middle School.

We have also successfully implemented One-To-One Technology throughout the district, done improvements to all buildings to increase security, and even through a great recession we have done all these things while reducing the Spring Hill Mill Levy for TEN CONSECUTIVE YEARS! - The second longest of all school districts in the state of Kansas!! We have hired a new Superintendent who has been doing an outstanding job and has been focused on building trust with the faculty and encouraging them to think outside the box to be innovative in their classrooms. This is an incredibly exciting time to be in the Spring Hill School District and I am looking forward to continuing to serve this outstanding community for one more term.
Questionnaire image

1. Why are you running for the Spring Hill school board?

I have lived in the district for 24 years and I have been serving on the Spring Hill Board of Education for 16 years. I taught Physics, Applied Physics and Applied Biology & Chemistry at Spring Hill High School and I believe it is important to have a teacher's perspective on the board.

2. What are your top three priorities?

  1. Continue to effectively manage our rapid growth while increasing student achievement.
  2. Continue to responsibly manage the budget. Even through the recession and our unprecedented growth, we have still managed to reduce the local mill levy for ten consecutive years! The second longest streak in the state of Kansas.
  3. Continue to work on teacher retention. When I was teaching in Spring Hill the teacher turnover rate was unbelievable. We were like a farm club for Blue Valley & Olathe, hiring fantastic young teachers who would get a little experience here and then go to a neighboring district to complete their careers. That is not happening anymore and we need to continue to bring in and retain the best & brightest teachers.
3. What are your concrete strategies to achieve these priorities, & what financial resources are needed to accomplish these goals?

A board members primary responsibilities are to oversee the superintendent, the budget, and district policies. I believe my priorities are in line with the superintendent and I intend to continue to work with him to achieve those goals. The Kansas funding formula must be fixed and fully funded and I will continue to press our legislature to do the right thing.

4. What makes you uniquely qualified for this position?

I am a former Spring Hill teacher and I have been serving on this board for 16 years. Over those years I have attended many NSBA & KASB training events & conferences. I have been involved in decisions that have placed Spring Hill on the forefront of technology and made our schools a desirable place to attend and work in and I have been involved in the passage of our previous two bond issues that position us to responsibly manage the growth that is coming. 

5. Tell us something you’ve done recently that makes you proud.

I am very proud of the work we did to pass our most recent bond issue - the largest in Spring Hill History - and we did so without raising the mill levy. This bond issue expands the high school, brings all of our high school athletic facilities together on the high school site, adds a new elementary school, and a new middle school. I'm extremely proud of the way we have been able to navigate the funding challenges Kansas schools have been faced with while continuing to lower the mill levy for ten consecutive years - an achievement matched only by one other district in the entire state!

6. Are you running as a change agent? If so, what do you hope to change?

No. I am proud of the accomplishments of our district over the 16 years I have been a board member. I believe the district is going in the right direction and hope to continue to be a part of our success. We have a new superintendent that is taking us in a new direction by encouraging teachers to be innovative when they teach and giving them the freedom to be creative. That doesn't mean that I don't believe we can improve, we are always looking for innovations and opportunities to make the district better but in a district that is performing well I worry about people coming in with a personal agenda to make radical changes without researching how they would impact our district. Everything we do is carefully thought out and studied because our kids don't get a second chance if it doesn't work. 

7. Is the economy in Kansas a concern to you?
Yes

Local economy?
Yes

If so, why?
When the Governor passed his tax cuts he eliminated a huge source of revenue that funded schools with the belief that it would stimulate the economy and bring in other revenue to fill the gap. It did not work and the result has been a net loss to our district of millions of dollars that could have gone to adding teachers and programs for our students.

8. What is the most critical issue you will face should you be elected?

Managing growth without compromising quality or raising taxes.

9. What is your stand on tax abatements?

I think there are times when tax abatements make sense but each situation is different and should be evaluated individually.

10. What is your primary source for information

I get information from a variety of sources. As a board member I get regular updates from our Superintendent & Budget director. I receive updates from the National School Boards Association & the Kansas Association of School Boards on news & legislation related to education. I attend conferences related to school boards and education, and of course, I hear from community members about things impacting their kids in our district.

11. What is your position on school funding in Kansas? (i.e. do you believe it is adequate? equitable?)

School funding in Kansas is neither adequate nor equitable. Spring Hill is a perfect example of the inequities in funding as we have been adding students at a higher percentage than most school districts in the country, yet our funding has not increased. As a result our funding per pupil decreases each time we add a new student while districts who are losing students get an increase. The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled for years that school funding is inadequate and legislative studies have supported that. Overall funding for schools has increased but has not even kept up with inflation since 2008. 

12. In your opinion what is the biggest issue facing Kansas public education today?

There are many threats to public education in Kansas today. Funding is the big one and may be exacerbated by a strong push for vouchers and the "school choice" movement. There is also an active and deliberate smear campaign to suggest (falsely) that public schools in Kansas are not performing as well as private schools. This continued false narrative threatens to undermine and eventually de-fund and privatize our schools, taking the control out of the hands of citizens and into the hands of profiteers. 

13. What is your stand on the transgender bathroom issue? 

The Spring Hill School District has a policy that adequately addresses this.

14. If cuts were necessary in your district where would you recommend they come from?

We have been cutting in one form or another for at least the last 16 years. Each time we face a budget challenge we have found ways to increase efficiencies or utilize creative funding mechanisms to meet the challenge. Our budget director is arguably the best in the state at understanding & maximizing the complicated state funding formulas. If it were determined that cuts were necessary, this board and administration would do a careful analysis to determine what we could cut with the least impact on our students. 

15. Where would you like to see additional financial investment directed in your district?

Teacher & Paraprofessional salaries.

16. How would you work to foster innovation in public education?

As a board member I am always looking for examples of innovation, and as a board we frequently discuss them, but in my opinion the best way to foster innovation is to provide our highly skilled teachers the resources, the freedom and the confidence to be innovative in their classrooms.

17. Do you believe Kansas has a spending problem?

Not when it comes to public schools. The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled for years that school funding is inadequate and legislative studies have supported that. When the legislature has commissioned studies to see if we can improve efficiency in our public schools, time and again the studies reveal that Kansas schools are NOT wasteful, to the contrary these studies show just how effective Kansas schools are at getting the most out of the funding they are provided. Overall funding for schools has increased but has not even kept up with inflation. Kansas has a revenue problem that no longer supports the necessary spending required for good quality essential services.

18. What role does the federal government play in public education?

This country has a long tradition of recognizing that our position as the world leader begins with a well educated population. Education is a right and all kids should be provided the opportunity to receive a world class education regardless of what state they live in. The federal government has a duty to ensure that states are meeting that charge, but should not be in the business of dictating curriculum. The establishment of specific curriculum and teaching methods should be left to local boards of education who are accountable to the citizens directly affected by their policies.

19. Are you familiar with the Children's Initiative Fund

Yes, it has been an outstanding program for the children of Kansas.

Would you pledge to help defend this fund from securitization in the future?

YES!!! Governor Brownback's attempt to dismantle this fund to fill the hole he created in the Kansas budget was disgraceful and I applaud the legislators that did not allow that to happen.

For Eric?

Why Vote? image
I have lived in this district for 24 years and I have been serving on the Spring Hill Board of Education for 16 of those years. I was a science teacher at Spring Hill High School and I believe it is important to have a teacher's perspective on the board. I was the head swim coach for Olathe North High School and coached baseball, softball, boys & girls soccer for my kids in Spring Hill. This is my home and I am passionate about our schools.
I wasn't just a teacher, I was a Spring Hill Teacher and I am committed to the students and families in this district.

School funding in Kansas over the last decade has been neither adequate nor equitable. The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled for years that school funding is inadequate and legislative studies have supported that. Spring Hill is a perfect example of the inequities in funding as overall funding for schools has increased but has not even kept up with inflation since 2008. When block grants were implemented our district was forced to continue without any budget increase even as we added hundreds of new students. The "block grant" funding, combined with Spring Hill's rapid growth resulted in an annual reduction in dollars per pupil. Spring Hill is one of the fastest growing school districts in the country and through diligent planning and proactive thinking we have navigated this unprecedented growth through the recession and the block grants without raising our mill levy. In fact, of the six school districts in Johnson County, the only one with a lower mill levy is Shawnee Mission - a district that is not growing.

We have been successful, but our district still faces some big challenges in the very near future.  as we have been adding students at a higher percentage than most school districts in the country, yet our funding has not increased. Our growth is not slowing, it is accelerating and it is imperative that we have responsible, experienced leadership on the board to continue to manage that growth and it's potential to impact our students, our teachers and our taxes.

Finally, I understand many people with political aspirations use school board elections as a stepping stone to higher office. I have no interest in higher office. My kids are grown and have moved on to higher education so my interest in doing this "volunteer work" is not self-serving. I do this because it is so important and because I love this district and the people it serves.


 

Can Vote?

Who image

I have been asked several times who my voters are.

The short answer is, if you live anywhere in the Spring Hill School District and you are registered to vote, YOU CAN VOTE FOR ME!

The Spring Hill School Board Elections are a little confusing because we have 7 board positions and they come from three different geographic areas of Spring Hill. There are two board members elected from each area and one board member “At Large”. These areas are intended to make sure ALL of the district is represented, in other words, we don’t want 7 board members from the North West corner of the district making all the decisions.

If there is a primary election voters can only vote for the primary candidates in their area. A primary occurs if there are more than three people running for the same position. This year I have two opponents so we will NOT have a primary. 

In the General Election (November 7) anyone in the Spring Hill School District 
can vote for any candidate running for any position that is up for election.

I have Yard Signs available, please let me know if you would be willing to put one in your yard! Eric Boyle

  • 21205 W 181st Terrace, Olathe, KS, United States

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