Behrens, pastor of Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, was appointed to the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education at the Oct. 19 meeting.
“I’m a firm believer that we have to listen to people and understand what’s going on in the community,” Behrens said. Listening and learning is his first goal.
He would like to meet with the other board members, staff, community, parents and students to discuss the schools.
Although he has a lot of knowledge about the district, because he was born here, graduated from Washington High School, and has two sons who graduated from Sumner Academy, there’s always more to learn, especially as the community keeps changing, he said.
The Kansas City, Kan., school district is one of the most diverse in the nation, with a language count of 70 in the schools.
“That probably will increase as more refugees find their homes in KCK and more immigrant populations find their way here,” Behrens said. “It’s a great open door for people seeking a new life in the United States, and I think that’s fantastic.”
The district has made great strides in addressing the cultural and language differences, and it is still a huge challenge, he said.
He said he has been watching the city change in the past 30 years in the Central Avenue area where his church is located, and he is aware of the needs of language and cultural sensitivity. The district has made great strides and he said he would be looking to help that grow even more. Kids are not able to learn unless the district crosses those borders of cultural diversity and language, he said.
“Meeting those diverse needs is a big part of what I see as a goal for the future, what I want to be involved in,” Behrens said.
The third goal has to do with funding of public education by the state.
“The big challenge that we all know about is the challenge of funding from the state and how there are certain forces out there that want to devalue and defund public education,” Behrens said. “The economic situation in Kansas because of tax policies has created a real problem.
“The defunding of education is a tragedy and something we have to push back at,” Behrens said. “We have to help the board push back at the devaluation of education at the state level that is hurting our kids and families.”
Behrens co-chaired the bond issue effort for the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools, when air-conditioning was added to all schools and technology was improved.
He has been active in the Central Avenue area through the 33 years he has been at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church, and has worked with the Central Area Betterment Association.
He has been very active in immigration reform issues locally for about 10 years. He started a couple of different immigration reform groups.
He is currently active in Advocates for Immigration Rights and Reconciliation (ARR), which is the outgrowth of another group he started in 2006.
He also works part-time as levee trail coordinator with Healthy Communities Wyandotte, which is trying to open the levees in the area for biking and hiking.
Behrens fills the position previously held by George G. Breidenthal., who died June 23, 2015.
The vote on Oct. 19 was 4-2 for Behrens, said board secretary Susan Westfahl, with board members Irene Caudillo, Gloria Willis, Evelyn Hill and Brenda C. Jones voting for him. Board members Valdenia Winn and Richard Kaminski voted for Maria Cecilia Ysaac. Ysaac had run for the board in the spring elections.
Behrens was sworn in after the vote.
Behrens has not previously served in public office. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts in 1981 at Ottawa University and a Master of Divinity in 1985 at Central Baptist Theological Seminary.
About half the school board is new since the spring, with Valdenia Winn and Irene Caudillo the other new members.
In June, Caudillo, president and CEO of El Centro, was selected to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of board member Vicki Meyer. Caudillo was one of the candidates who ran in the spring election.