This Missouri school board suddenly wants ‘criteria’ for who’s fit to lead it?
Some Lee’s Summit School Board members, for the first time in the district’s history, would like to set specific criteria for who can sit in leadership roles on the board. And while no one will say on the record that race is behind this talk, it has come up only now after the board has gotten its first two Black members.
Board members discussed coming up with characteristics that a board member would need in order to be board president or vice president but have not yet decided what those characteristics might be. Probably because the only criteria a person really needs to hold either of those jobs is to be a member of the board and that’s been decided by voters. As it should be.
The discussion of characteristics came up during a work session at which the board was set to talk about putting the duties of president and vice president into policy that would align with Missouri School Board Association guidance.
The MSBA guidance does not include setting characteristics or criteria for being in board leadership, said Brent Ghan, MSBA deputy executive director. And, he said, school boards are not required to follow policies suggested by MSBA, which has no regulatory authority over local boards.
But Ryan Murdock, the board’s president, said he thinks having a what-are-the-duties policy in Lee’s Summit “is a good decision.”
Traditionally, the main duties for the Lee’s Summit’s board president are to speak for the board after getting consensus from other members, meet with the administrative executive team and report back to the board, set the board agenda and sign any agreed-upon documents and checks.
So what possible characteristics does a board member have to have to be able to sign their name?
Murdock, a former teacher who is currently the emergency management director for the City of Raymore, said the board began talking about adopting a policy outlining the specific duties for its leadership last June. Immediately after the district’s voters elected the first Black member of the school board.
Megan Marshall was elected on June 2, 2020. Rodrick Sparks, the second Black member, joined her in April 2021, and Marshall was named vice president of the board after a community push for that to happen.
The board reorganizes every year in April. President and vice president are selected by members. There is no limit on how long leadership can serve, and no rule that says it has to change from one year to the next.
But Marshall, who retired from the United States Marine Corps after 20 years of active duty, could very well be chosen president in April. Clearly, she’s qualified. She does support aligning leadership duties with what is suggested by MSBA but does not support the idea of setting characteristics for any board leader.
Marshall says she can’t know what motivations other board members have for out of the blue proposing conditions on leadership eligibility.
Asked whether this is about race, she said, “I sincerely hope that is not the case.”
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.
It’s not clear which board members suggested adopting criteria for serving in a leadership position. The meeting, while open to the public, was not recorded and the board secretary said the minutes don’t reflect who said what, only that the issue was discussed.
Murdock said the board plans to revisit the discussion of duties at its Sept. 2 leadership meeting during which suggested changes to the policy can be offered by members. They plan a final decision on a new policy at the Sept. 28 full board meeting,
MSBA officials have said they are not aware of other Missouri school districts with any rules setting characteristics for who can serve in board leadership roles, and they have not recommended that that happen. Lee’s Summit should follow MSBA guidance on leadership duties and leave the characteristics discussion off the agenda.
