Shawnee Mission board elects April Boyd Norona president; council names officers and district appointees

April Boyd Norona was elected president of the Shawnee Mission School District Board of Education at the board’s organizational meeting on June 23, 2025, receiving seven votes in favor. The board also unanimously approved other officer elections and district appointments for the 2025–26 school year.

The leadership slate adopted at the meeting included Jessica Hembry as vice president and Mario Garcia as the Shawnee Mission Area Council (SMAC) PTA representative; Jamie Borgman was approved to continue on the Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) Board of Directors and Heather Owsley was approved as the district’s KASB legislative committee representative.

The organizational appointments approved by the board included Dr. David Stubblefield as treasurer, Russell Knapp as deputy treasurer and Shelley Tranholme as clerk of the board. Those appointments were made “in accordance with state laws,” the board noted during the meeting.

Board members filled out ballots and voted on each nomination. Board members announced the vote totals on the record for the presidential and vice‑presidential elections; each contested slot reported a 7–0 tally in favor of the nominee.

The board completed other routine organizational business during the session, including adopting its meeting calendar for the coming school year (see Votes at a glance for the formal motion and vote). The superintendent, Dr. Michael Schumacher, acknowledged the leadership transition during his superintendent’s report and noted that Boyd Norona is the first person of African American descent to hold the district presidency.

The board convened its regular meeting immediately after completing the organizational items.