A third write-in candidate files for Kansas City school board

Ajia Morris, vice president of mission advancement at Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas, is one of the latest to announce as a write-in candidate for a seat on the Kansas City Public Schools Board of Education.

A graduate of Lincoln College Preparatory Academy and the law school at Washington University in St. Louis, Morris is seeking to fill the Subdistrict 5 spot on the board. That seat now is held by Curtis L. Rogers, board vice chairman.

Morris is one of three candidates to on Tuesday receive an endorsement from Mayor Sly James and the political action committee Kansas City’s Future. The other two candidates getting this group’s support are Natalie Lewis, vying for the Subdistrict 1 seat, and John Fierro, going for the Subdistrict 3 seat.

“They share my belief that education in this city should be world class for all children,” James said in a statement Tuesday. “I trust these individuals to base decisions on facts and data that improve student outcomes and ensures good board governance.”

None of the three candidate names will appear on the ballot for the April 5 school board election.

Only one person met the Jan. 19 filing deadline for the election. Jennifer Wolfsie will fill Airick Leonard West’s at-large seat, since he is not running again. Wolfsie, a parent leader in the district, was the only candidate to obtain enough qualified signatures. She is unopposed.

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "A third write-in candidate files for Kansas City school board."