Amid racial tensions, Lee’s Summit school board needs president who backs equity efforts

The Lee’s Summit School Board has an opportunity Tuesday to change the narrative that the district does not value its minority students.

Two new members will be sworn in. The full board is expected to nominate incumbent board member Kim Fritchie as president. There is also support to keep Ryan Murdock in his current position as vice president.

But Fritchie has a history of voting against equitable opportunities for education for minority and low-income students. Putting her in a leadership role would raise still more questions about the district’s commitment to equity and to ensuring that all students have a fair chance to succeed.

In a district that has struggled with racial turmoil, what message would it send to students of color to make Fritchie the face of the school board?

“The R-7 district has an opportunity to break away from its hateful past,” said newly elected board member Megan Marshall, the first African American to hold the position.

Fritchie, who was first elected in 2017, has twice voted against measures that would help disadvantaged schoolchildren. Last year, she was one of four Lee’s Summit School Board members who initially opposed racial equity training for teachers, staff and administrators in the district.

After much consternation and amid calls for action from a group of concerned citizens, Fritchie later voiced support for racial and cultural sensitivity. The district eventually approved equity training after months of intense public debate.

But the wounds opened during what became an ugly battle have yet to heal.

“I was judged on that one vote,” Fritchie said.

In 2017, Fritchie and outgoing board president Julie Doane voted against the district’s Innovation Track plan, a dual-enrollment program for high school juniors and seniors.

Students who qualify for free or reduced lunches earn full scholarships to take classes at Metropolitan Community College or the University of Central Missouri if they meet certain criteria. Opposing affordable college for minority students whose families may not be able to afford higher education raises still more red flags.

Fritchie has said she is only interested in what’s best for all students. Her actions have not matched her words, though.

And at a fraught moment for both the district and this country, Lee’s Summit needs a board president who is committed to equity in education.

Traditionally, the vice president is a contender to take over the top spot, and electing Murdock president would signal that the district is headed in the right direction. Murdock has championed equity work and has a background in emergency management, which could prove to be particularly relevant experience as the district contemplates how to educate children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marshall, the top vote-getter in April’s school board election, deserves consideration for the position of vice president. The recently retired Marine’s experience makes her an intriguing option for a leadership role.

Lee’s Summit is still grappling with the fallout from the forced resignation of former superintendent Dennis Carpenter, the district’s first African American leader. Carpenter was shown the door after suggesting that equity work was needed to close the achievement gap between minority students and their white peers.

He left with a $750,000 settlement barely two years into his tenure.

Tuesday’s vote comes as racial strife engulfs the country. And the hashtag #OurStruggleLSR7 took social media by storm this past weekend as current and former marginalized Lee’s Summit students wrote that they had faced racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia from fellow students, teachers, staff and administrators.

As of Monday, more than 400 people had signed a petition demanding more accountability on race relations within the district. A petition on Change.org asking the district to make changes to the curriculum to address racism and multicultural awareness has been signed by more than 2,400 people.

Fritchie has the backing of influential groups in the community. But wouldn’t it send a powerful message for the board to reject more of the same, and listen to the will of the people?

The district’s students of color deserve that.