Kansas City Star Editorial Board endorses in North Kansas City School District races | Opinion

Six active candidates are campaigning for two open seats on the North Kansas City School District Board. On April 8, voters in the district can pick two candidates from the list.

The Northland is growing and dynamic. Kansas City’s population north of the river may soon equal the people south of it, in Jackson County.

One of the prime reasons for that growth is quality schools, which North Kansas City has maintained, despite higher enrollments and the occasional controversy. People who live in the district, with children or without, should continue that commitment to the schools.

We think the best way to do that is to vote for Ayrn Peters and Carolyn Mason.

Aryn Peters

Peters is a former teacher, and a product of the NKC District. Three of her children are currently students in the district. She has the experience and the current-day knowledge of the challenges facing the district, one of the fastest-growing in the state.

She understands — as all members of the NKC board must — that the student population is not only growing, but that it is growing more diverse every semester. Half of its roughly 21,000 students are white; the rest are minority. A third of all students qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches.

North Kansas City school enrollment is among the highest in Missouri.

“We’ve had to really figure out how to ride that wave of becoming as diverse as we have so quickly, just so many more schools that we’ve had,” Peters told us. “I think it’s great the Northland is becoming as diverse as it is.”

Growth and diversity are good things, of course, but they can strain budgets and some parents’ patience, waiting for fair treatment. Peters understands this, and thinks the community is ready to respond.

At the same time, North Kansas City schools have seen a fair share of controversy, including a spat over gender-specific restrooms and library books some patrons thought were not suitable for some kids. Peters appears ready to face that challenge as well.

“There’s always going to be a few people that are going to be out there that are going to seek the controversy,” she said. “You’re always going to have to have that open discussion for things, but you’re also going to have to have that level of respect for each other.

“One hundred percent, it always goes back to one question,” Peters said. “What’s best for kids?” Exactly.

She supports the North Kansas City district bond proposal on the April ballot. The $175 million package, which would not require a tax increase, would pay for school improvements and overdue maintenance.

Peters says she is focused on students’ mental health — a priority always, but particularly after the disruptions of COVID-19.

Carolyn Mason

Our other recommendation is Carolyn Mason. She is also a teaching veteran who still teaches on a substitute basis.

Mason strongly supports the district’s proposal bond issue. She gives district leaders high praise for past construction projects, but knows the work hasn’t ended.

She also understands and praises the district’s diversity. “We have such … a rich tapestry of different people,” she said. “When you’re walking around, you see so many different cultures, hear so many different languages. I mean, I think that just enriches all of our students.”

She says the NKC district has treated its patrons and their children fairly. “You want everybody to feel that you want every single kid in the school to feel that they are the most important, or they are as important as everyone else.”

This approach will be critical in the district, which is economically as well as ethnically diverse. Schools in the south part of the district will correctly demand that funding and resources are spread evenly among the district’s attendance areas, regardless of family income.

Mason takes the right approach to school library concerns, too. “I respect (that) you as a parent have a right to monitor what your personal child reads, but not to monitor what my child reads,” she said. Precisely.

The other candidates in the race are Roy Copeland, Jason Russell, Jessica Rezac and Daniel Wartick.

This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 5:08 AM.