Beryl New has served the Topeka community for nearly 36 years. She is currently running as a democratic representative for District 6 on the Kansas Board of Education. She has always advocated for quality public education for the community.
New has been involved in many organizations such as the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, Strengthening and Equipping Neighborhoods Together-Topeka , Keys for Networking Kansas, Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas and many more. She was also a student of Monroe Elementary School in 1961, which is now the Brown vs. Board of Education National Park.
New believes that it was her calling to attend Washburn University and become an English teacher. She was able to receive a full Pell Grant scholarship because she had six children and qualified based on her income.
“My whole journey through Washburn was totally paid. I think $86 or something like that in my senior year was what I had to come up with out of pocket,” New said.
New earned her bachelor’s in secondary English education in 1988, then she became an English teacher and counselor at Topeka High School. She soon became assistant principal at Highland Park High School in 2001. As requested by the principal at the time, she went back to Washburn University in 2002 to earn her master’s in school leadership. During her time as assistant and associate principal at Lawrence High School, she earned her doctorate in educational administration from the University of Kansas in 2007.
In 2010, New became principal at Highland Park High School and led the school through a $7 million federal school improvement grant. She also campaigned door-to-door in the surrounding neighborhoods to introduce herself to parents.
“We had great staff, great district team and I felt very confident we could improve assessment scores, graduation rates, student behaviors, build relationships with their families,” New said.
New’s work has benefited many Highland Park High School graduates, including Asianah McCracken.
McCracken graduated from Highland Park High School in 2016 and enjoyed having New as a principal and always felt thankful for her advocacy and support.
“She made sure that we were in classes, we had the tutoring and we had the resources we needed to not just graduate, but to also move on to college,” McCracken said.
One of the other things New has done during her time as principal was improve the quality of service at the in-school daycare. The daycare prevented students who couldn’t afford child care from dropping out. Part of the requirements of utilizing the daycare was learning socialization and parenting skills.
“We worked really hard to make sure that there was a structured program for the students so they could be students while someone else took care of their baby throughout the entire school day,” New said.
When New resigned from Highland Park High School in 2017, Topeka Public Schools Superintendent, Tiffany Anderson, promoted her to director of certified personnel and equity. Her role was to recruit more teachers and principals for the school district. New retired from that role in 2023 but is still currently a co-chair of the Equity Council with Anderson.
Anderson was glad that New was able to bring in a lot more diversity in the school district.
“She’s been just instrumental in hiring multiple teachers and leaders of color in their current roles. It’s been really impactful and that’s an impact that will touch generations of children,” Anderson said.
Anderson also thinks that it is incredible that New is running as a District 6 representative for the Kansas Board of Education after serving public schools for so many years. She believes that this will encourage more people to vote and inspire more women of color to move into leadership positions.
“She had a remarkable impact and through her advocacy, she’s changed a lot of lives across and beyond Topeka,” Anderson said.
McCracken also believes that New is the perfect person for this position.
“I know that with this position, she’s [going to] continue to cater to all of our needs. She’s going to show up and be an inspiration for all of the men and women of this community,” McCracken said.
As a representative, New plans to sincerely advocate for students and families. She emphasizes that people must know that they have a right to vote and have a voice in decisions being made for their lives.
“I want people to know that if they bring a concern to me, I will represent their concern and definitely advocate for everything that is right for our students,” New said.
To learn more about New’s campaign, visit this website.
Edited by Eden Conrad and Jayme Thompson
