Andrea Newman is crystal clear about what’s motivating her to run for a seat on the Humboldt USD 258 Board of Education: this spring’s discussion about moving the district to a four-day school week. While the proposal ultimately failed by a 5-2 vote, Newman knows it evoked plenty of emotion. “It shook our community,” said Newman. “It really did.”
It also created an astounding level of interest in the four school board seats that are up for election this Tuesday, Nov. 7. Newman is the last of the 10 registered candidates the Register has profiled, and she is running as a passionate defender of the traditional five-day week.
Newman wants to make sure that, if the proposal is reintroduced, the board considers all the consequences.
Her logic is simple: Kids need to be in school. Newman believes many students depend on schools for much more than instruction; “it’s their safe place,” she said. And she worries about how a four-day week would affect the most vulnerable students. Who would be watching them? What would they eat? What would they do all day, especially during the cold winter months?
Newman is quick to point out it’s nothing personal, highlighting her family’s flexibility when it comes to childcare. “I can be home with my child, or she can come to work with me,” said Newman. But she knows that isn’t the case for most families.
“Our kids need school,” Newman said. “They need that structure.”
Instead of advocating for a four-day week that would result in less time in the classroom, Newman would rather investigate how best to build systems that keep teachers energized and motivated. She understands the profession’s challenges, but “we need to think of a solution to how we can better support teachers, instead of pulling our kids out of school.”
Newman also believes the school district’s facilities, especially its state-of-the-art athletic complex, are a real draw for students and families, and they should be as well-cared for as possible. “Members of our community, who love our community, made sure that we have what we have. Small towns dream of having the facilities we have,” said Newman. “And I believe that keeping those facilities maintained and respecting them — that is very important to me. We don’t want to jeopardize losing this support by letting issues fall through the cracks.” Newman sees the improvements from the district’s bond issue as no exception.
NEWMAN, 37, was born and raised in Humboldt, and graduated Humboldt High in 2004. After earning an accounting degree from Pittsburg State, she then spent several years working for the U.S. Secret Service in Wichita, and later, the Office of Inspector General in Kansas City.
It was a different life than the one she has now. “I was traveling at least two weeks out of the month. I loved it, especially being young. I got to see the whole country.”
But just six months after her daughter Emersyn was born, Newman knew it was time to come home.
“I never thought I’d move back,” admitted Andrea. But being close to family was appealing, and things seemed to fall into place when her husband, Chase Butcher, was offered an engineering position with B&W Trailer Hitches.
One of the things Newman likes best about being home in Humboldt’s school district. “There’s nowhere else I would want to send my kid. I love Humboldt. That’s why we moved back. We wanted her to be in a smaller school. I don’t worry about her. I know she’s safe. I know she’s learning.”
Established back home, Newman has wasted little time in joining a family of entrepreneurs. She and her mother, Jeanie Newman, own and operate jae & co., a boutique store, and Wild Poppy, a new clothing store. Both are on Humboldt’s square. Newman’s father, Craig Newman, was the creative force behind Bison Woodworking. He and Newman’s husband are also the owners of Sticks Golf Lounge.
She can’t see herself anywhere else. “We’re not leaving,” Newman says, matter-of-factly. With her husband’s family also close by in Chanute, this young family’s roots are already dug deep in Humboldt.
