Category: Piper

Name and office sought – Tom Beebe, Piper USD 203 Board of Education

Age – 51

Occupation – Director, Operations Administration at Empower Retirement, a division of Great West Financial.

Education – BS in Business Administration with majors in Accounting and Economics and a minor in Finance from Pittsburg State University

Organizations, clubs, groups to which you belong – Piper Optimist Club; Kaw Valley Youth Football; USA Football

Reasons for running – To help guide our district toward meeting the mission of providing each student with quality education and learning experience in a safe environment and allows them to reach their maximum personal potential.

What is your top campaign issue? Providing the proper facilities to house the growing population of students within our district, while balancing the on-going reduction of funding from the State level for educating the students of our district.

There may be budget constraints facing local governments and
schools. If you had to make cuts, what would be at the top of the list to cut? In the face of budget cuts or reduction in State funding, the first course would be to examine charging for current services being provided that our district is not compensated for through current educational funding. This would include transportation and full day kindergarten services which are not currently funded by the State.

If you are an incumbent, list your top accomplishments in office.
If you are not an incumbent, what would you change? As an incumbent of 8 years, I have been part of a Board that has pushed for increased academic rigor and we have experienced many results that have shown this success. With the increase in results across the board in testing of many different varieties, the achievements of our students have consistently ranked highly across the metro area as well as at the state level.

What is the difference, on the issues, between you and the other candidates running for this office? I have not learned of any of the ideas or thoughts of any of the new candidates running at this time as there have not been any opportunities to hear what motivated them to run. I have worked successfully and in harmony with the current incumbents who are seeking re-election and would gladly serve another 4 years with these competent individuals. I hope to learn more from the new candidates at the public Candidate Forum on March 30th at Piper High School

Have you run for elected office previously? When, results? Run and elected to the Piper U.S.D. 203 Board of Education in April 2007 and again in April 2011.

Ashley Biondi, a lifelong Wyandotte County resident and Piper High School alumna, is running for the Piper Board of Education.

“Piper schools provided me with the education I needed to succeed and become an educator myself,” Biondi said. “It would be an honor and privilege to serve our community.”

Biondi received a Bachelor of Science in Education in elementary education and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Kansas in 2007. During her time at KU, she was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, holding two executive positions as recording secretary and vice president of alumnae relations.

Biondi was also a member of the Multicultural Scholars Program, Sigma Delta Pi (National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society) and a volunteer for Project Bridge. She was also an intern in the Professional Development School program while completing her student teaching at the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools.

After graduating from KU, Biondi taught first grade at Edison Elementary School in Wyandotte County. During her first two years teaching, she completed her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Kansas, as well as received the English for Speakers of Other Languages endorsement. She continued to teach through the 2014 school year then made the decision to step back from full-time teaching to focus on her family. She continues to substitute and holds a current teaching license in Kansas. Having been in the classroom, Biondi said that she understands the commitment and sacrifice teachers make on a daily basis.

“I will be an advocate for teachers to help them meet the needs of each child,” Biondi said.

Biondi is married to Anthony Biondi, and they have two daughters, Stella, 4, and Josephine, 2. This past year when Stella started preschool at the Piper Early Childhood Education Center, Biondi said she was reminded how important a quality education is, not only for her children, but for the community. This, combined with the current challenges facing public education, inspired Biondi to run for the Piper’s school board, she said.

“I am determined to maintain the quality of education our students are receiving, and that means high expectations for everyone involved in educating our children is a must,” she said.

The election is April 7.