The 2025 school board election included three open seats. Of the three available seats, two went back to incumbents, while only one new member was elected.
New school board member Brent Basquez was surprised by the election results.
“Although I was really excited to try, I assumed that the three incumbents would all win,” Basquez said.
Basquez’s family has ties with the USD 402 system. His children, freshman Isla Basquez and 2025 graduate Isaac Basquez, have attended Augusta schools, and his wife, first-grade teacher Rachael Basquez, works at Lincoln Elementary School.
“He cares a lot about teachers and students; I think it’s because my mom’s a teacher,” Isla said. “If he can help anything and anybody, he will.”
Brent, being new to the school board, has been preparing himself for his new role.
“The [Kansas School Board Association] has good resources available to help teach new board members,” Brent said. “I also have been reading books and getting myself as prepared as I can be.”
Brent was also a supporter of the bond issue voters approved in May; he is happy it passed.
“I’m really excited for the new facilities and I think the students and the staff are really going to benefit from the additional things coming in the future,” Brent said.
Brent plans to help make changes to improve students’ comfort.
“He wants to help the culture in classrooms and make school more enjoyable for everybody,” Isla said.
Improving students’ education and opportunities are areas Brent will to focus on.
“I’d like to be able to increase our proficiency scores, specifically in math and reading, and being able to let the kids improve in those areas,” Brent said. “Then also the CTE Career and Technical Education classes coming in with the programs partnering with Wichita State Tech and Butler.”
Brent knows these improvements will take time.
“It seems like change is always slower than you want it to be,” Brent said. “I know that we have some scores that aren’t where we want them to be, and I’m going to be able to get those addressed.”
Community involvement with school activities is supported by Brent
“I feel like there’s a really good partnership with the community, and they all buy into what the schools are doing and support them really well,” Brent said. “Athletic events and extracurricular activities, band concerts, all those kinds of things, are really well attended, and I feel like there’s a lot of community pride.”
Brent is also interested in removing the middle school’s Bluejay mascot and making the Oriole a shared mascot between the high school and middle school.
“I know there’s support in the community to do that,” Brent said. “I’m not sure that that’s going to be something that we’ll be able to do in the immediate future, but just something I’ve got my eye on.”
Brent’s wife, Rachael, supports his ideas.
“He believes in building bridges, not walls, and then the power of working together to create a better future,” Rachael said.
The family is aware of the struggles teachers face.
“Whenever I see a teacher that’s really trying, it makes me sad, because I know how much work it took them for that,” Isla said. “Especially when I see a teacher spending their own money on stuff, it makes me sad.”
Despite the struggles Rachael faces, Brent does not plan on directly helping her.
“My husband’s role as a school board member should not directly affect me in any way, in my position as a teacher,” Rachael said. “However, his love for this community and his commitment to supporting our students, teachers and staff will positively impact all of us.”
Brent’s number one priority is to make a positive impact on the district.
“I really enjoy being able to make an impact on the school district, and I hope to be able to continue to do that,” Brent said.
