Board of Education

Meet the Board

Ashley Biondi, Board President

Ashley Biondi and her husband, Anthony, have been residents in the Piper School District since 2013.  Ashley was a 2002 graduate of Piper High School.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from the University of Kansas. She also earned her MSE in Curriculum and Instruction from KU.  They have two children attending Piper schools.  Ashley is an active member of the community and currently is the co-leader of two Girl Scout troops.  She has served on the Piper School Board since 2015.  Ashley has worked for Kansas City, KS Public Schools since 2008. You can reach Ashley at: ashley.biondi@piperschools.us.

Allison Armstrong, Board Vice President

Allison Armstrong and her husband Rick are lifelong Wyandotte County residents. Allison graduated from Schlagle High School and Rick is a proud JC Harmon Hawk. They have been Piper residents since 1987. Rick is a former Kansas City, KS Chief of Police. Allison worked as a stay at home mom from 1988 until beginning her teaching career at Piper High School in 2006. Rick and Allison are the proud parents of two Piper graduates, Alyssa Zimmerman (Piper '06) and Dr. Caitlin Armstrong (Piper '12). 

Allison received a Bachelor's Degree in Art History from the University of Kansas and a Master of Education from Rockhurst University. She has worked as a volunteer with The Junior League of Wyandotte and Johnson Counties, Girls Scouts, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. She also volunteered within the Piper School district for many years, serving primarily at the original Piper Elementary and Piper East Elementary in the Art Department. Prior to being hired as a full time teacher, Allison also served as a substitute teacher at all grade levels within Piper Schools. In 2006, Allison was hired as an English Language Arts teacher, where she taught Senior English, Junior English, Oral Communications, Creative Writing, Literature, African-American Literature and Great Novels. In 2009, Allison introduced the Piper High School Senior Project into the curriculum, and she remained as the director of the program until 2018. Allison retired from Piper High School in 2022. You can reach Allison at: allison.armstrong@piperschools.us.

Melanie Bakarich

Melanie and her husband John are lifelong residents of Kansas City, Kansas.  She grew up in Piper and is a proud graduate of the Class of 1991.  They raised 3 boys in the Piper School District.  Jack and Dane are recent graduates of the Class of 2025 and Dax is a freshman.  Melanie received her BS in Business Communications from the University of Kansas and has worked within Baron Contracting, the commercial general contracting company her husband John founded in 2006.

Melanie has a passion for giving back to the community, especially the Piper School District.  She is the President of the Piper Educational Foundation, Treasurer of Piper PTA, and a member of Piper Booster Club.  She and her husband John also established the foundation, Train It Forward, which is dedicated to teaching lifesaving skills and spreading water safety knowledge to the Kansas City community through free, convenient, and fun based events.  Melanie is an All-Star Alumni at Starlight Theatre and a 2025-26 Top Model fundraiser with Inclusion Connections.  You can reach Melanie at:  melanie.bakarich@piperschools.us.

Larry Beashore

Larry and his wife Lisa have been residents of Piper since 1993. They have two adult children that attended and graduated from the Piper school district. Larry is a current member and past President of the Piper Optimist Club. He also coached football and baseball at Piper High School and was the district SRO for 8 years, before retiring from the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department in 2018. You can reach Larry at: larry.beashore@piperschools.us.

Patty Jurich

Patty and her husband Michael have been Piper residents since 2009.  Patty is a lifelong Wyandotte County resident and graduated from Turner High School. Michael is from Ohio and moved to Kansas after serving in the Army.  They raised their 3 children in the KCK School District and have 7 grandchildren, with 2 granddaughters attending Piper schools since 2015.  They are both retired –Patty from Children’s Mercy Park and Michael from the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Public Utilities.  

Patty has been volunteering in the community for the past 40 years, serving on PTAs in the Turner and KCK public schools and on Kansas State PTA, having served in many capacities including as Kansas PTA President from 2021-2023. She was the Wednesday Reading Helper for Mrs. Anaya’s kindergarten class at Piper Prairie Elementary.  She has been active in other organizations such as Junior Achievement, the KCK Chamber of Commerce’s Business Education Coalition and Kansas Safe Kids. Patty has served on the Kansas Master Teacher selection committee, the Kansas Teacher of the Year State Selection Committee and on the KSDE Accreditation Advisory Council for school accreditation. She currently serves on the KSDE Professional Standards Board for teacher licensure, Kansas PTA Future Teacher Scholarship Committee, KCK Council of PTA in District #500, and is the President of Church Women United of KCKS.  You can reach Patty at: patty.jurich@piperschools.us. 

Jeb Vader

Jeb Vader and his wife, Polly, have been residents in the Piper School District for over 15 years.  Jeb was a 1998 graduate of Piper High school.  Polly is currently employed with the district as the Coordinator of Real World and Career and Technical Education.  They have three children attending Piper schools.  Jeb is an active member of the community and is a member of the Piper Optimist Club.  Jeb has worked for Farmers Insurance since 2004. You can reach Jeb at: jeb.vader@piperschools.us.

Julian Wells

Julian and his wife Jess have been Piper residents since 2004.  Jess is a native of Nebraska, and Julian from Alaska, but they happily call Piper home! They have two daughters currently in the district.  Jess formerly served the Piper District as a School Psychologist.  Julian is the Clinical Manager and Upper Limb Specialist at Arm Dynamics, taking care of children and adults who present with limb absences or deficiencies.  Julian has owned and operated several businesses primarily focused around helping or supporting those needing medical devices.  He is looking forward to the growth of the community and supporting the needs of the district. You can reach Julian at: julian.wells@piperschools.us.