Kansas City area school board elections roil in debates over diversity, banned books
Anthony Mondaine, who if elected would be the first Black person to serve on the Independence school board, received an email asking for his opinion on critical race theory. His response, he was told, would determine whether the sender would “support you or give my soul to destroying you.”
“I have never once said that I am for CRT. And it’s just sad that people feel they have to resort to violence because someone may have a different perspective on a popular topic,” Mondaine, a pastor, said. “I’m not interested in introducing CRT. That is not my effort. I’m the only person of color on the ballot, so it’s like, are other people getting these questions and threats? Why am I getting this?”
It’s only one example of the tense environment surrounding education as Missouri voters head to the polls on Tuesday. But that hasn’t stopped a crowded field of candidates from running in Kansas City area school board races, where like in Independence, contests have largely focused on politically charged issues like the teaching of race in schools, banning books, and diversity and equity initiatives.
Many of the candidates running in larger school districts — Independence, Park Hill, North Kansas City and Lee’s Summit — are starkly divided on those issues, with some conservatives arguing that their district’s diversity work has gone too far and reeks of critical race theory, a graduate-level academic framework not taught in K-12 schools.
Some progressive candidates contend that the equity initiatives do not go far enough and more work is needed to close achievement gaps and ensure all students have an opportunity to succeed. They also say that it’s beyond time to have more diverse representation in school boards and district staff, to reflect student populations, especially in light of several racist incidents across districts this school year.
The Park Hill district, for example, was shrouded in controversy last fall after high school students circulated a petition calling for the return of slavery. And this winter, a white teacher retired while facing termination for repeating a racial slur said by a Black student during a heated exchange.
The district hired Sophic Solutions to help progress a plan for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, work. Recently, the school board unanimously approved a nearly $40,000 contract to continue the work with the consultant firm next school year.
But some community members argued the contract would result in students being taught critical race theory. Experts say the academic concept has been misunderstood and distorted for political purposes, and that it is not taught in K-12 schools. Opposition stems from the conservative claim that curricula examining the role of racism in American history are revisionist and being used to turn students against the country.
At the meeting, Park Hill school board candidate Cory Terrell said the consultant firm “does nothing but teach racism. It is straight out Marxist ideology,” and that DEI is a “euphemism for critical race theory.”
Superintendent Jeanette Cowherd addressed the misconceptions about the work the firm would do, saying that the partnership is simply to help the district begin engaging the community and determining next steps.
In North Kansas City, some parents pushed for LGBTQ-themed books to be removed from library shelves, due to content they deem too graphic or sexual. Librarians, students and others fought back, and the district decided to keep the books.
“This is not a matter of censorship,” North Kansas City candidate Josiah Bechthold said. “These materials in the school libraries can be triggering and traumatic to children who might have been victimized by predators thereby causing them to relive their experiences. These materials are inappropriate.”
Bechthold has campaigned with the slogan,” Make education great again.”
Another North KC candidate, Andrew Corrao, has stopped campaigning, saying he did not want to “dilute the voting pool,” and instead asked for voters to cast ballots for other like-minded candidates who support diversity and equity efforts.
He said there are other “candidates out there who do not support investing in our public schools. Some of them believe diversity, equity and inclusion are a bad thing and that those words should be taboo.”
Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.
Here are some of the bigger school board races to watch:
Park Hill school board
Eight candidates are running for two seats on the Park Hill school board, as two members step down during a difficult school year filled with debates over COVID-19, diversity work and how to address the district’s aging facilities.
Tuesday’s ballot also includes two propositions that, if approved, would help fund facility improvements and other operational costs.
Candidate Shereka Barnes said that she decided to run for school board because she “saw dysfunction in how racially sensitive issues were managed and decreased transparency.” She also was inspired by her own experience attending Park Hill schools 30 years ago, for example, when she tried out for a school play.
“The Drama teacher at the time stated, ‘The school could not deal with the controversy of a black girl kissing a white boy,’ and said she could not give me a part in the play. Of course, I was devastated. My parents contacted the principal and the school board. There were no consequences for the teacher,” Barnes said. “I have raised two daughters through Park Hill school district, and they have experienced situations that stuck with them.”
Barnes, who works in the health care industry, applauds the district for its DEI work so far, but believes it needs to hire a more representative staff and implement more diversity in curriculum. Her other priorities include making renovations to aging facilities and helping the district expand with new schools, holding town halls and other opportunities for public input, plus better preparing students for life after graduation.
Candidate Tammy Thompson, a pharmacist, feels differently. She does “not believe the district is on the right track with issues of race, diversity, and inclusion.”
“The district should bring people together not divide them further with instituting policies that disenfranchises a specific group of students. Respect, kindness, and understanding should be key, not making one feel like a victim or an oppressor,” she said.
Thompson said she also is focused on improving communication with the community, creating a long-term plan to address maintaining buildings “instead of having to ask the taxpayers to approve bonds to repair existing facilities,” as well as addressing the teacher shortage and learning loss from the pandemic.
Daryl Terwilleger said he is running to ensure Park Hill creates an environment for all students to feel a sense of belonging. A stay-at-home dad who previously worked at Cerner Corp., Terwilleger said the recent incidents of racism in Park Hill “are a symptom of the problem and not the problem itself.”
“Every single school in our district needs to analyze what can be done to combat racism in their setting and in age-appropriate ways. They should then create plans of action. Some of our schools have already begun doing this. But, efforts are not consistent throughout the district.”
His other goals include addressing teacher burnout and providing extra support to staff following the pandemic, improving community outreach and investing in infrastructure to address the district’s growth.
Jason Keck, an attorney, said that DEI policies need to make “sense for the district and all students within it” and that “we do not need to be creating further division between our students and community.”
“I believe that any theory, ideology or agenda being taught that divides, discriminates or has principles of reverse discrimination has no place in the district or curriculum. This includes critical race theory,” he said. “With that being said, I think we need to provide opportunities for all students in the district to be successful and to have a safe, comfortable learning environment. This means we need to be honest that all students are not the same. They do not all have the same support systems and make-up when it comes to their abilities and the resources available to them.”
He also believes the school board needs to set policies better detailing language that cannot be used in schools and behavior that “impedes upon our student’s learning environment.” His other priorities include bringing facilities up to par, fiscal responsibility, supporting teachers with competitive pay, and ensuring special education students are granted equal opportunities.
Candidate Jeff Runyan, a former police officer and now delivery driver, said, “I do not think that racism or diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are needed.”
“Park Hill is a public school district. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are natural by-products of any public school district and don’t need to be redundantly emphasized,” he said. “Racism is not a problem in Kansas City, and it is not a problem in the Park Hill School District. If anything, these initiatives are serving only to further divide people and exclude the vast majority of students from some of the activities that they enjoy.”
Runyan’s other goals are ensuring parents are “involved in everything” at school, matching school facilities to the needs of the district, “eliminate administrative bloat and extraneous and unnecessary programs,” and to “get politics and the cult of modern media out of our schools.”
Kelli Johnson, a social worker serving as a case manager for individuals with disabilities, said she would like to see diversity and inclusion efforts progress, so that the district better serves all students.
“All students need to be included in the public school system and given the services and respect that they deserve for the unique individuals they are,” she said. “I feel like we’re a good school district. We do a lot of stuff well. We just struggle when people are on the fringes, we struggle a bit more with making appropriate accommodations.”
Johnson has a child with Down syndrome and said that she’s seen firsthand how the district needs to improve its services for special education. She also prioritizes removing partisan politics from the school board and focusing on the needs of students, better supporting teachers who “feel like they are drowning” after the past couple of years, and ensuring that district administrators and board members spend more times in schools talking with staff and students.
Terrell, a deportation officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a real estate agent, declined to answer The Star’s questions, but provided a statement: “I’m running for school board to bring more transparency to the decision making, bring a parents bill of rights to our school and divert our district from its critical race theory efforts.”
Both Missouri and Kansas lawmakers have been debating proposed “parents bill of rights” — legislation that’s part of a series of education bills in both statehouses that would give parents wide latitude to object to teaching materials they find troubling or controversial, including certain race-related curricula in Missouri.
Candidate Christopher LaCour did not return The Star’s requests for an interview.
Candidates agree that the district needs to invest in repairing aging facilities and investing in new schools to better serve the district. Also on Tuesday’s ballot are two propositions, that would not raise taxes, and would help fund facility upgrades and other operations.
Proposition I asks voters to approve a $137 million bond issue to help the district bring facilities up to date, plus build a 12th elementary school to move students out of classroom trailers and maintain class sizes. Proposition N asks voters to allow the district raise the property tax levy ceiling to fund operating expenses, such as staff salaries. Officials, though, said it would not raise the overall taxes because it would reduce the debt service levy by the same amount.
Independence school board
Independence voters will elect two candidates from a field of five, which includes two incumbents running for reelection.
Newcomer Mondaine, a graduate of Independence and an ordained minister, is believed to be the first Black candidate to run for the school board, officials said, in a district where only about 52% of students are white.
“I didn’t realize there had never been a person of color on the board and that I would be the first. That certainly didn’t entice me to run. It actually applies a lot more pressure to it all,” he said. “Children need to see representation in their leaders, on all levels. There needs to be fair representation. And I feel like I have something to offer to make a difference in the lives of our children and staff members in our district.”
Mondaine said that Independence has long been “known as a place that isn’t so welcoming to people of color,” and he wants to change that in the district and ensure there is more diverse representation across all staff. He said his other priorities include improving communication with parents and teachers, making school board decisions and meetings easily accessible and helping students recover from any learning loss over the pandemic.
Second-term incumbent Jill Esry, who was first elected in 2010, emphasized that critical race theory is not taught in the district, and said that she will continue to support efforts to make schools more inclusive.
“I will also continue to encourage the ISD to teach our students and staff the importance of respect and inclusion of every person without regard to their physical and mental abilities, gender, ethnicity, religion, income, family status, etc,” she said. “If we can teach our students from a very young age to understand, respect and value differences in each other, then this next generation will be better prepared than any prior generation to meet these issues. And maybe, just maybe, one day it won’t be an issue.”
Esry said her other goals are teacher recruitment and retention, hiring a more diverse staff and increasing mental health supports for students and families.
Newcomer Greg Gilliam is retired after spending 31 years working in the Independence district, in roles varying from teacher’s assistant, school coordinator, and consultant to human resources supervisor. During his time with the district, he said, “I have tried to make each person feel welcome and valued, just as I was taught growing up. I am for all people (students, parents and staff) and want to see them succeed.”
On the topic of debates over critical race theory, he said, “I believe that CRT separates and isolates people based upon race and I do not believe this has a place in K-12 education. I believe that each person regardless of ethnicity, social class, abilities, disabilities etc. that walks into our community, our district, or our school buildings should feel that they belong. We each need to engage each other. Learn from each other.”
He said other priorities include providing more social-emotional supports for students and helping them recover from the pandemic, improving incentives and benefits to better retain and recruit staff, advocating for public school funding, plus building an environment of trust and belonging.
Candidate Jason Vollmecke, a chiropractic physician and small business owner, said that on issues of racism, the district has had an “if we don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist” approach.
“It’s easy to break down this issue as just a matter of school materials, but issues of race are much more complicated than that,” he said. “We should work on developing character, empathy, accountability, and community investment while teaching our children the critical thinking skills necessary to develop a better society.”
He believes that the district’s six-year school board terms should be reduced to three or four, and is advocating for improved equity, better transparency and communication, creating a less hostile work environment, retaining educators and enforcing the board’s “oversight of the superintendent.”
Incumbent Matt Mallinson did not return The Star’s request for interview.
North Kansas City school board
Eight candidates are running for two seats on the North Kansas City school board, including two incumbents seeking reelection. Voters also will consider two ballot propositions to help the district build new schools and make improvements.
Corrao has stopped campaigning and instead threw his support to incumbent Terry Ward and Daniel Wartick.
Ward, who has served nine terms on the school board, said he believes the district is on the right track with its diversity and inclusion efforts.
“If we are going to succeed, we must be aware of the differences and embrace them as we work toward an outstanding education for each student,” he said. “We have been involved in diversity and equity initiatives for nearly 20 years as we try to equip every district employee with the tools to support our educational goals. We live in a changing society and we are trying to do our part in preparing the next generation of adults for success in a world that is increasingly diverse by every dimension that can be identified.”
His priorities include improved student performance, better prepare more incoming students for kindergarten, improve facilities and follow the district’s long-term plan to keep up with growth, as well as continuing to be fiscally responsible.
Wartick, former principal of North Kansas City High School, said he decided to run to bring the perspective of a classroom teacher and school administrator to the board. He said that the district’s diversity and inclusion efforts are at the heart of all work and should be continued, in part to gain trust with families and help them better access resources.
“It is not enough to have resources in place, the district must prioritize how to access the resources for families and students,” he said. “Some of our systems are firmly in place — ELL screening for services, IEPs for special needs, 504s for learning needs, free and reduced breakfast, and lunch programs — but support systems that can be accessed for students struggling with race, gender or religion need to be clearly accessible in safe environments provided by buildings.”
His top priorities are bringing all stakeholder groups to the table; instilling an environment of pride, respect and trust; improving student outcomes; and creating a supportive atmosphere for educators.
Frances Yang, a research associate professor in the University of Kansas School of Nursing, said that she is the first incumbent of Pacific Islander descent to serve on the school board.
“We need a brave space for diverse students, teachers, and staff to safely discuss issues of concern and celebrate all walks of life,” Yang said. “Most importantly, we need to be open to hearing diverse voices and perspectives with respect in exchange of responses.”
She is seeking reelection because she believes she offers a needed perspective on the board, with her background in epidemiology and research. And her priorities include district accountability, providing the community with answers and solutions to their concerns, streamlining communication and improving transparency.
Newcomer Bechthold, who has promised to “make education great again,” said he decided to run after growing angry over COVID lockdowns, mask mandates and other issues. “The dollar was buying a nickel’s worth, the retail shops were going bust, guns being kept under the counter, ANTIFA Punks were running wild in the street and nobody anywhere seemed to know what to do, and there is still no end to it,” he said.
On racism in schools, Bechthold, a U.S. Army veteran, said, “Racism is bad, most everyone agrees on that. There are real economic and racial disparities that need to be remedied. But should the teaching of CRT come at the expense of basic academics? … These kids are already living in a diverse environment.They know all about diversity. What students of all backgrounds need help with is math and reading.”
Susan Hines, talent and leadership development partner at Siemens, said that she was inspired to run by the high school students who spoke up against book banning. “Their passion and advocacy woke me up,” she said.
“While I haven’t experienced it here, I’ve experienced racism and microaggressions most of my life as an Asian American female,” Hines said. “Yes, I believe it’s crucial for schools to be a safe space where kids can learn and talk about racism and DEI. Our schools are already diverse and learning how to be inclusive, curious and compassionate toward others, especially those who are different from you, are critical life skills for good global citizenship.”
Her priorities include addressing mental health and related barriers, teacher retention and having district representation that reflects the student body.
Laura Wagner, who works as an executive for the Laborers’ International Union of North America in western Missouri and Kansas, said the district’s diversity efforts are “noble and should continue.”
“We cannot ignore these issues when our students go home to them every day,” she said.
Wagner is advocating against bills going through the Missouri statehouse that she said are “actively trying to defund public schools. Free, public education is the backbone of our nation. … If we take the ‘free’ part away from public schools it will damage all of us — not just students and parents.”
She also is promoting a focus on teacher retention and hiring, providing more resources for student and staff mental health needs, and positioning students to meet career goals.
Duane Bartsch, an attorney and active duty Army officer, argues that the district has “lost track of its mission.”
“NKC defends and approves of graphic pictures of oral sex and masturbation in the kids’ libraries,” he said, while academic achievement is falling behind. “I want to stop the decline and turn it around. The best, and maybe only, way to achieve this is to focus — really focus — on academics.”
On the topic of diversity and equity, he said, “I was general counsel for, and later a board member, for a 100% minority inner-city public charter school. I am all in favor of teaching accurate history but there is no evidence that I’ve seen — literally no evidence — that diversity and equity initiatives improve academic scores. How could it improve academic scores? Instead of spending energy on the hard work of getting kids proficient in math and reading, we spend our time and energies dividing kids by sexuality and color.”
Also on Tuesday’s ballot, voters will consider two propositions to help fund new schools and improvements, as officials expect more than 1,500 more students to enroll in the next five years.
The district will ask voters to consider a zero-tax increase, $140 million bond issue, to replace two aging elementary schools, add more classrooms and renovate other schools.
The proposed levy transfer would allow the district to transfer some funds currently allocated to pay off debt to increase the operating property tax levy for maintaining and staffing schools. Approval is not expected to change the district’s total property tax levy, meaning voters would not see a property tax increase as a result.
Lee’s Summit school board
In Lee’s Summit, eight candidates, including one incumbent, are running for two seats on the school board.
Candidate Anne Geanes, though, has stopped campaigning and instead endorsed Melissa Kelly-Foxhoven and Larry Anderson, according to a news release.
Kelly-Foxhoven, who works in human resources, said she was inspired to run for school board after a tumultuous few years in the district, including controversial debates over diversity and equity work.
In 2019, former superintendent Dennis Carpenter, who weathered criticism from the school board and community after proposing racial equity training for employees, resigned. That same year, the then-all-white board reversed a previous decision to reject the training, and approved hiring a consultant firm.
Since the controversy, Lee’s Summit voters have elected two Black board members.
Kelly-Foxhoven said the racial tensions and other political debates, including around COVID and book banning, in the district, motivated her to run. She called herself a strong pro-equity candidate.
“I’m very passionate about making sure every child in our school district has their needs met where they’re at and are provided an education that prepares them to go be successful after high school, whatever path that is,” she said.
She believes the district can move faster with its equity work, especially with development training, allocating resources, bringing student perspectives to discussions and implementing more equitable hiring practices. Other priorities are improving resources for special education students, responsible governance and offering more of a voice to teachers and the community.
Anderson, an engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration, said that on the school board, he would prioritize student achievement, instructional support and student intervention programs, and recruiting and retaining quality teachers, adding that “salary is the most powerful tool available to ensure quality teachers.”
On diversity, he said that, “Racism and slavery must be taught critically.”
“Our students must learn about our past so they may make a better future for themselves. The district is on the right track because it has already adopted an equity plan … and we must be prepared to supply the instructional resources required for all of our diverse cultures that will migrate into this great city.”
Candidate Heather Eslick, an Army officer with a work background in electrical manufacturing, said her priorities are improved communication and transparency, arguing that parent concerns have “not been acknowledged over the last few years.” She also emphasizes fiscal responsibility and balancing the budget.
On DEI initiatives, she said, “they bring to light issues of equitable access that prevent students from having an equal opportunity for success in education. To the extent possible, filling those resource gaps for students is a positive and laudable effort.
“When the focus becomes identity-based (i.e. race, gender, religious, etc.) within DEI programs, I believe this is a disservice to our students being supported as individuals with varying cultural experiences, capabilities, and needs that are unique to them as people, separate from their immutable characteristics.”
Jennifer Foley, who works in the health care industry, said that if elected she would focus on implementing a structured literacy program, recruiting and retaining teachers and finding innovative ways to help educators feel fulfilled.
On the district’s diversity work, she said, “This is an issue that is challenging to address. While we have some wonderful staff that provide great education to students, it is troubling to hear concerns over outside consultants that are hired, and when questions or complaints are raised, they go unanswered. Our district has spent a significant amount of money over the past few years on these equity consultants, and they have not shown any efficacy.”
Incumbent Mike Allen and newcomer Joseph Yacaginsky did not return The Star’s interview request. Candidate William Lindsey did not respond to The Star’s questions by deadline.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
