Rebecca Swender

Rebecca Swender is a wife and working mother of two children in the USD 457 school district. Her children’s education and wellbeing are her driving motivation for running for school board.

A lifelong Kansan and a resident of Garden City since 2014, Rebecca understands the community she will serve as school board member. She has been active and involved in the community, serving on several boards. She has been heavily involved with the Plymell Elementary School Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) as Treasurer for the past five years. She is proud to be a part of a PTO that is intentional in providing the students and teachers with academic resources and recreational enrichment activities. She also was a leading advocate in adding security systems, protocols, and school resource officers into Garden City schools. In addition to PTO, Rebecca has served on the Staff Parish Relations Committee and teaches Vacation Bible School at her church each summer. She is also a current board member of the Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center.

Rebecca has worked in both the public and private sectors. Her first job after completing her Master’s Degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics was as a Legislative Analyst for Kansas Legislative Research Department. There, she worked on the Kansas Department of Education’s K-12 budget during the legislative session and provided economic analyses of Kansas tax policy. In Garden City, she worked for a few years as an agricultural loan officer, where she got to know Southwest Kansas, local producers, and the regional economy. For the past eight years, she has worked for Senator Marshall, working primarily in healthcare and energy policy.

Education is a top priority for Rebecca, both for her own children and as a means for advancing the workforce and economy. She comes from a line of public educators. Both of her parents, as well as several grandparents and great-grandparents, taught in Kansas public schools. She sees the value in public education and the need for strong, quality teachers. She also sees some of the challenges facing public educators today, such as behavioral health issues, higher numbers of English language learners, and students who continue to fall behind following COVID school shutdowns. She believes that parents should be involved in their children’s lives and education.

Rebecca has been happily married to her husband, HJ for over 10 years. Her two children attend Plymell Elementary School.

Jacob Jenkins

I’m Jacob Jenkins, and I’m running for USD 457 School Board. I was born and raised in the small town of Bucyrus, Kansas. From there, I went on to Kansas State University, where I met my wife, Courtney. In 2014, we both graduated with Bachelor’s Degrees in Animal Science. After college, we moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota for one year, where I took a job with Gavilon as a grain merchant. We then moved back to Kansas City, where I took a job with National Beef as a cattle buyer; Courtney began working for a freight logistics company out of Overland Park. 2018 was a huge year for my wife and me. Not only did we move to Scott City as I was transferred to a new territory with National Beef, but my wife and I were also blessed to have our first daughter, Sawyer. Then in 2019, we were blessed once again as we had our second daughter, Ryann.

In 2021, we moved to Garden City, where we now call home. Then in 2022, we were blessed once again with our last bundle of joy, Baylor. Currently, two of my three daughters attend Plymell Elementary School, and they love it. I believe our rural schools are vital for our community, and I hope to see all three of my kids go through Plymell. I am excited to be running for USD 457 School Board.