Several local school board races were canceled because too few candidates filed to make them competitive.
But other local school districts held hotly contested races characterized by high numbers of candidates and close vote tallies.
Here’s a look at the preliminary results from the April 4 election. The Beacon published Q&As with many of the candidates ahead of the elections, so follow the links to learn more about the winners.
Click the county headings to see full election results or see Kansas City results and Platte County results. Districts are listed under the county they primarily fall under, but some overlap with multiple jurisdictions.
Click the links to jump ahead:
- Lee’s Summit R-7 School District
- Raytown Quality Schools
- Hickman Mills School District
- Kansas City Public Schools
- Liberty Public Schools
- North Kansas City Schools
Jackson County
Lee’s Summit R-7 School District
Seven candidates competed in a tight race where five of them received between 15% and 15.5% of the vote. The three selected to serve three-year terms are:
- Kamile Johnson
- Erica Miller
- Regina Garrett
While school board races are nonpartisan, Johnson and Miller took a more progressive stance on issues such as LGBTQ students and removing controversial library books, while Garrett shared more conservative views on those issues.
In a Beacon questionnaire, Johnson and Miller both mentioned competitive pay for teachers as among the district’s top challenges.
Johnson would also like to see the district allocate resources to support struggling students and create collaborative and supportive environments for staff.
Miller named hyperpartisanship as a major challenge and wrote that she would like to see a return to civility in the district. She also named improved access to dyslexia reading intervention programs and other supports for students with special needs as a major necessity.
Garrett echoed the concern for students with dyslexia and also named pandemic learning loss and making the voices of students and teachers heard as some of the district’s primary challenges.
Raytown Quality Schools
The three candidates voters selected to serve a three-year term are:
- Michael Watson Jr.
- Rick Moore (incumbent)
- Madelyne Douglas
Watson is the executive director of the Raytown Emergency Assistance Program. During a candidate forum with The Beacon, he emphasized the need to provide wraparound services to students to support their education.
Moore is a longtime school board member who will be serving his seventh term on the board. He and his three children graduated from the district. He touted the education they received and the district’s work with diverse students and recruiting minority teachers.
Douglas is a retired director of residential services for Niles Home for Children. She highlighted her experience as a counselor with experience working with those in crisis and the need to involve families in issues affecting their children.
Hickman Mills School District
The candidates voters selected to serve a three-year term are:
- Irene Kendrick (incumbent)
- Brandon Wright
- Byron Townsend (incumbent)
Kendrick and Townsend are incumbents who highlighted their experience on the board while Wright is a newcomer.
Kendrick noted that the board recently increased teacher pay. She said her top priority is for the district to regain full accreditation, and that good communication among board members is essential to achieve that goal.
A former teacher, Wright now works as an administrator for another school district. He said he would like to bring unity to the board and keep reaccreditation as the focus.
Townsend said he had worked to expand the budget as a board member. In addition to accreditation, he would like to improve opportunities for students after they graduate.
Kansas City Public Schools
Voters cast more than 1,000 write-in votes in a Kansas City Public Schools race with no candidates on the ballot. Election results posted Tuesday night did not say which names had been written in. The Kansas City Election Board told The Beacon that those results would be available April 17.
Clay County
Liberty Public Schools
The candidates voters selected to serve a three-year term are:
- Angela Reed (incumbent)
- AJ Byrd (incumbent)
- Jenn Bauer
Two incumbents and one newcomer were selected to serve on the Liberty Public Schools board.
Reed is a retired educator who wrote in response to a Beacon questionnaire that she sees retaining qualified teachers and staff and legislation filed regarding open enrollment, private school vouchers and curriculum as among the greatest challenges the district faces.
Byrd emphasized his work on the board including improving diversity and passing a bond issue. He named salaries, improving diversity at the classroom level and challenges to local control as top issues the district is facing.
Bauer declined to respond to the questionnaire. According to her campaign website, she is a small-business owner focused on academic excellence, advocating for educators, opportunities for students with special needs, security and mental health initiatives and monitoring spending.
North Kansas City Schools
The candidates selected to serve three-year terms are:
- Laura Wagner
- Karee Gleason (incumbent)
Wagner has been involved with the district as a member of the Education Foundation committee and as co-chair of the industry executive council, which leads the district’s Pathways program. During a Beacon candidate forum, she said the main issue facing the school district is a staffing shortage.
Gleason, an incumbent, was not able to attend the candidate forum. Like Wagner, she was endorsed by the North Kansas City National Education Association. On her campaign Facebook page, she pledged to hold the district accountable to its strategic plan.
