Tongie Strong

02/14/2026

We encourage patrons of USD 464 take advantage of this opportunity to meet incoming Superintendent, Dr. Shawn Poyser, this coming Monday in the THS commons area/ library, from 5:00 to 6:30! As always, Our Kids | Our Future!

11/05/2025

The votes have been counted, and the people have spoken! With all precincts reporting according to leavenworthcounty.gov, Evan Dean and Chris Gratton have retained their seats, and Lisa Balmer is the newly elected member of the USD 464 School Board!

Congratulations to all three, and we look forward to seeing how this next iteration of our school board works together for OUR KIDS|OUR FUTURE!

11/04/2025

Today is Election Day! Local elections like these generally have low turn-out, but local elections affect you more than you think! Let's get out and make our voices heard!

Get to the polls and vote for OUR KIDS|OUR FUTURE!

10/31/2025

Not only do we support Lisa Balmer, Evan Dean, and Chris Gratton for USD 464 School Board, so does Game On for Kansas Schools! We invite you to join them and us in supporting these three candidates as they work for OUR KIDS|OUR FUTURE

10/29/2025

Good morning Tongie Strong supporters! As you know, there are some very important races for school board seats coming up in the election. As you’ve seen on social media, school elections within our own county, state, and nation have become increasingly POLITICAL and not always focused on the kids.

Tongie Strong believes education in Tonganoxie should be about our LOCAL interests and our school elections should be focused on OUR KIDS|OUR FUTURE.

Nov 4th - Voters will be asked to select 3 individuals for USD 464 Board Of Education (from 4 candidates) we believe our LOCAL interests will be best served by:

Chris Gratton
Evan Dean
Lisa (Holton) Balmer

Chris Gratton is a graduate of Tonganoxie High School along with his wife and 4 children, local business owner, and has served two terms as 464 BOE member. Proud of the positive improvements USD 464 has made over the last 8 years (facilities, engagement, etc) while being fiscally responsible.

Evan Dean is born and raised Tonganoxie and a THS graduate, has 3 children currently in USD 464 schools, Associate Director at KU with research around students with disabilities. Enjoys attending his children's school sports/activities, and also volunteers to judge high school Speech/Debate/Forensics events.

Lisa (Holton) Balmer is born and raised Tonganoxie and a THS graduate, has 4 children currently in USD 464 schools, local business owner, President of 464 Education Foundation, involved with the PTC, and volunteers in several capacities such as TES elementary student reading program 3 times per week.

The passion and dedication of their LOCAL involvement and LOCAL interests for our USD 464 school are why we believe these 3 individuals would be the best option to keep politics out of education and to continue to focus on OUR KIDS|OUR FUTURE.

10/02/2025

Good morning, Tonganoxie! Wanted to drop this important reminder as we head toward school board election season:

We are starting to see election signs around Tonganoxie, sooo...

✅ Check your voter registration status for CITY/SCHOOL ELECTIONS 2025!

Key Dates 🗓️ to Remember:
📌 Voter Registration Deadline: October 14th
📌 Advanced Voting Begins: October 15th
📌 Election Day: November 4th

Voter Registration links can be found at https://sos.ks.gov/elections/voter-registration.html

Application for Advance Ballot by Mail
https://files.leavenworthcounty.gov/Department/Clerk/Election/AV1.pdf?t=202103161039250&t=202103161039250

*In Person Advance Voting can be done at the Leavenworth County Courthouse from 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

👉Visit the Leavenworth County Election Office website to get all the details

https://www.leavenworthcounty.gov/.../elections/index.php

12/17/2024

We at Tongie Strong welcome Evan Dean to the USD464 school board as he fills the open board seat!

10/31/2024

Friends, as you know, next Tuesday is a general Election Day.

Those of us who comprise Tongie Strong are made up of people from all walks of life. We've got different views on many things. We sit on different sides of the "aisle" and have differing political, religious, and personal opinions.

That being said, one of the things we agree on is the need to ensure our students receive the best education we can give them. There are several seats up for grabs on the state school board of education, and the potential for public education across the state to be hindered by political agendas and personal vendettas is high.

Tonganoxie sits in the midst of District 4, which is also represents Basehor, Desoto, Baldwin, Ottawa, Mclouth, Perry, Lyndon, Bonner, KCK, and 18 other school districts. Tongie Strong believes that KRIS MEYER is the right person to lead District 4 with a sound, reasonable voice as she advocates for a strong public education system.

As you head to the polls on Tuesday, or if you're voting in advance, we encourage you to vote KRIS MEYER for Our Kids | Our Future!

06/08/2024

Last Library Run post for now... First: Thank you to all our runners, who helped us nearly triple our numbers from the last run! Thank you to police, fire, EMS and others who came out to help. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers. (If you haven't gotten your shirt, let us know!) Finally, thanks to those who did the heavy lifting: David Frese Natalie Parker Frese Reann French Jonathan Boone and our fabulous Director Max Wirestone. (with support from staff, including Kim Downing). See you next June!
Tonganoxie Public Library Friends of the Tonganoxie Public Library

06/08/2024

Here's Library Run results. If you signed up specifically to walk, or if you forgot to wear your bib, your time may not be on the list. But hopefully everyone else is!

Race results from Manhattan Running Company sponsored and owned races. Results date from current year, back to 2012.

06/06/2024

It's our final thank you to the wonderful businesses sponsoring the Tonganoxie Library Run, including Tonganoxie Family Dentistry, Grinter Farms and Good Shepherd Thrift Shop & Food Bank. We appreciate you!
T-SHIRT PICK-UP AND LATE REGISTRATION is Friday 5-8 and Saturday morning starting at 6 a.m.