Voters soundly pass bond for Independence schools. See who will serve on board
Two newcomers joined the Independence School Board Tuesday night, rounding out the group of leaders who will see the district through its first round of an anticipated influx of cash from a planned artificial intelligence data center — and through several major building upgrades funded by a $60 million bond.
Four candidates ran for two open slots on the school board in Tuesday’s election. Sarah Wimberley received the most votes, with 4,884 ballots — or about 30% of votes – cast in her favor, according to unofficial results from the Jackson County and Kansas City election boards.
Justin Durham also earned a spot on the board, with 3,900 votes or about 24% of the total vote.
Wimberley and Durham will replace incumbents Denise Fears and Blake Roberson, who declined to run. Jeff Jewell and Zac Harmon-McLaughlin were knocked out of the race Tuesday night.
Terms on the seven-person board are six years long, though a Missouri bill to shorten the terms to three years passed the state Senate and is working its way through the House. Board members’ terms are staggered so that all seven seats are not up for renewal in the same year.
Tuesday’s election was the second time in six months that Independence residents have been tasked with a foundational decision about the district’s future. Voters opted in November to preserve the four-day school week model that has been in effect since 2022.
New class of leaders
Wimberley and Durham will still be on the Independence School Board when the district receives its first series of PILOT fees (Payments In Lieu Of Taxes) from Nebius, a Dutch AI services company building a $150 billion, 400-acre AI data center in eastern Independence.
The Independence School District will receive more than half a billion dollars from the project over the next 20 years. Interim Superintendent Dr. Cindy Grant has categorized the PILOT revenues as a strong financial safety net desperately needed by the district, which has seen its primary funding source of property tax revenue destabilized by recent county tax policy.
Board members will also work closely with a new superintendent. Dr. Vickie Murillo will helm the district starting July 1, while Grant will become the new superintendent of the Fort Osage School District.
Justin Durham has not held an elected office before but is no stranger to Independence School Board meetings, having attended hundreds while working at Hollis & Miller Architects. Durham and his colleagues have designed school construction and upgrade projects, including recent rebuilds at Van Horn High School and Cassell Elementary.
Durham hopes to expand the district’s technical education programs, including in HVAC repair and plumbing, in order to attract more students. He also hopes to support the hiring of additional paraprofessionals, counselors and special education specialists.
Sarah Wimberley is a pastor at Saint Mark’s United Methodist Church in Independence. She leads a youth group for students in 5th through 12th grade and said her top campaign priority was to “support [Independence teachers] to continue producing good, prepared adults.” She has also spoken about mobilizing additional resources for immigrant students and students experiencing homelessness.
Wimberley was endorsed in Tuesday’s race by the Independence chapter of the National Education Association, under which Independence teachers are unionized.
Bond to rebuild
Voters also passed a $60 million bond, which will be used to renovate three elementary schools and update at least 20 other district buildings. The bond passed with 7,209 votes, representing 73% of the vote.
The bond will fund significant alterations and improvements at Fairmount, Procter and Korte elementaries on the west side of the district. The Fairmount Elementary building is 102 years old, while Procter and Korte are 76 and 66 years old, respectively.
The bond will not increase taxes. It borrows against future property tax revenue, which the district will continue to collect at the established rate of 91 cents per $100 of taxpayers’ assessed real and personal property value. District officials took to social media Wednesday to offer their “sincere gratitude” to voters.
“This outcome reflects a strong commitment to our schools and the future of our students,” a district representative wrote on Facebook. “We are honored by the trust placed in us and are eager to begin this work.”
Construction at Fairmount, Procter, Korte and 20 other ISD buildings will begin in May 2026, with all major projects set to be completed by August 2027. Voters previously approved ISD facilities bonds in 2021 and 2017, along with tax levies to increase teacher pay in 2023 and 2015. All were approved by more than 60% of voters.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 9:43 PM.
