KC area school elections: Park Hill gets 1st Black member, Lee’s Summit gains another
_thum_fitted.jpeg "Brandy Maltbia Woodley")
After a year of racial reckoning in the Kansas City area and around the nation, candidates of color made inroads on Kansas City area school boards on Tuesday.
Voters in the Park Hill district elected Brandy Maltbia Woodley, making her the district’s first Black school board member.
Lee’s Summit, which elected its first Black school board member in the last election, gained a second Black member, Rodrick Sparks.
Kansas City school board chair Pattie Mansur, who is white, lost her reelection bid Tuesday night to newcomer Tanesha Ford, who is Black.
According to final unofficial results, Woodley won one of two seats with 2,215 votes, or 22.4%. Voters also reelected incumbent school board president Kimberlee Ried, who won 2,314 votes, or 23.4%.
Incumbent Kyla Yamada was defeated, earning 21% of votes. The other candidates were Tammy Thompson, 19%, Alberto Rivera, 7.3%, and Jay Blumenthal, 6.9%.
Woodley, a first-time candidate, said she ran to represent everyone in the district, offer a better line of communication with parents, plus advocate for children of color and students with disabilities.
“I am glad to break that glass barrier,” she said Tuesday night. “And whenever there’s an opportunity where I’m able to speak to students and go into a school building, I hope to show students they can be anything they want — to tell them to not let anything keep them down, and to not let anybody tell them they can’t do anything.”
She who works in the department of military history at Fort Leavenworth’s Command and General Staff College. She has twin eighth-grade daughters, as well as a daughter who is a junior, all in the Park Hill school district.
Lee’s Summit school board
Lee’s Summit incumbent school board president Ryan Murdock won reelection on Tuesday, with 30.2% of votes.
Newcomer Rodrick Sparks also was elected to the board, with 24.3%. The election was largely focused on race and equity issues, in a district that last year elected its first Black board member, Megan Marshall. Sparks was the only Black candidate in this year’s race.
They defeated Christine Bushyhead, who received 23.7% of the vote, followed by Michele Surber, 17.4%, and Monte Helm, 3.7%.
The district has faced several controversies in recent years over race and inequity. Dennis Carpenter, the district’s first Black superintendent, resigned in July 2019 after clashing for several months with the then-all-white school board over diversity training. Last year, the board named David Buck the new superintendent.
Murdock is a former high school teacher who now serves as emergency management director for the city of Raymore. He has twin sons who are 10 years old and attend Longview Farm Elementary School. He said the district has made progress by crafting an equity plan, but should take action to start implementing it after the COVID-19 pandemic that only exacerbated disparities.
Sparks is an accounting specialist for Hendrick Automotive Group. He has an elementary-aged child and high schooler who both attend Lee’s Summit schools. He believes the district needs to improve communication with parents, and hopes to better represent their voices on the board. He plans to focus on hiring and retaining more teachers and administrators of color, plus expanding summer school and night classes to students who need them.
“I’d like to extend incoming board member Rodrick Sparks a warm welcome to the Board of Education and congratulate Board President Ryan Murdock on his reelection,” Superintendent David Buck said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Board of Education to support and serve the Lee’s Summit R-7 Schools community.”
Independence bond issue
Voters in the Independence school district overwhelmingly approved a $43 million bond issue, to fund security improvements and school renovations.
It passed with 84.8% of the vote, which officials said was one of the highest margins in district history.
“I want to extend my thanks to all of the voters who have had a direct impact on the future success of the ISD,” Superintendent Dale Herl said in a statement.
The bonds will help fund security improvements — “ensuring that every school in the district has a vestibule with double door secure entrance,” officials said.
Other projects include renovations to fine arts facilities and auditoriums, playground upgrades at elementary schools, plus athletic field improvements at high schools.
There is no tax increase.
Platte County bond vote
Residents in the Platte County school district passed a $73 million bond issue, which will go toward building a new middle school among other projects.
According to the unofficial results, 61.1% voted in favor. The bond initiative does not include a tax increase.
The new middle school, which could serve up to 600 students, is planned to be built on 80 acres that were donated at Missouri 152 and Platte Purchase Drive.
The bond also will fund the first phase of renovations at Platte County High School, which will include a two-story addition on the southwest side. It will add 26 classrooms and learning labs, a new main gym, cafeteria commons, a baseball field and parking. The rebuild of the high school will be funded by three separate bond issues, officials said.
Metropolitan Community College
Voters in three area school districts decided to join Metropolitan Community College’s taxing district, while five others voted against it.
MCC officials say the broader tax base will give the college more resources to expand programming, update buildings and provide services. Residents would pay a higher property tax. MCC has a tax levy of roughly 21 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
In return, residents will qualify for the in-district tuition price, which was $107 per credit hour for the spring semester. That’s compared to the out-of-district price of $198 per credit hour.
The three districts that will join are Grain Valley, approved with 57.2% of the vote; Oak Grove, 59%; and Liberty, 58%.
The measure failed in Smithville, with 80.5% voting against it; Platte County, 68% opposed; Kearney, 77.5%; Harrisonville, 88.6%; and Raymore-Peculiar, 70.5%.
Includes reporting by The Star’s Kevin Hardy.
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 11:29 PM.
