© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Here are the key April school board election results from the Kansas City metro

Two political-style posters stick in a yard for Bill Haley and Dan Blake. Behind them, far in background is a another yard sign that reads "Join me at Abundant Life."
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
Yard signs for Lee's Summit School board candidates Bill Haley and Dan Blake sit in a lawn in the Lakewood Lakes subdivision near a yard sign for Abundant Life Church on March 27, 2024.

Incumbents prevailed in some Missouri school board elections, while other Kansas City-area boards saw shakeups that could shift how they handle book challenges, diversity initiatives, class instruction time and how to best support students.

School board elections continue to take center stage in the Kansas City area this spring with races that threaten to change the dynamic of existing boards.

Voters considered those stakes as they chose new school board members on Tuesday in some of the region’s largest districts.

Board members in most school districts serve three-year terms, while members in the Independence School District serve six-year terms. Voters chose two candidates for each race.

Below are the unofficial results for the Apr. 5 school board elections in the Center, Liberty, Lee’s Summit, Independence, North Kansas City, Hickman Mills and Park Hill school districts.

Jackson County

Lee’s Summit School District

Two candidates elected to the Lee’s Summit school board will join a board divided on how to handle diversity initiatives and challenged books. With three conservatives on the board, just one new member would need to join with them on votes to tip the balance in their favor.

The election also comes amid concerns that a conservative evangelical megachurch, Abundant Life, has too much influence on the board. Two existing board members are Abundant Life members, and lead pastor Phil Hopper preached in favor of electing more “two more godly people” to the board.

Voters selected Stacie Myers and Bill Haley for three-year terms on the board. The election of Haley could raise concerns for community members worried that the influence of Abundant Life could make the board more conservative. Some community members believe Hopper’s “godly people” comment referred to Dan Blake, who attends the church, and Bill Haley, who approvingly shared a video of Hopper’s sermon.

The two winning candidates defeated Dan Blake, incumbent Rodrick King Sparks, Juanice Williams and Reuben Mitchell.

Read more about the successful candidates’ positions and priorities in our voter guide.

Two open seats

  • Stacie Myers

Votes: 9,903

Percent: 23%

  • Reuben Mitchell 

Votes: 1,538

Percent: 4%

  • Juanice Williams 

Votes: 5,359

Percent: 12%

  • Rodrick King Sparks (Incumbent)

Votes: 7,220

Percent: 17%

  • Bill Haley

Votes: 9,533

Percent: 22%

  • Dan Blake

Votes: 9,262

Percent: 21%

Independence School District

The Independence school board race featured a contest between two groups: three candidates largely happy with the district’s direction and four candidates critical of district leadership.

Incumbents Carrie Dixon, Eric Knipp and challenger Dennis Green praised how the district operates and emphasized unity on the board. Superintendent Dale Herl donated $100 to Green’s campaign. Challengers Wendy Baird, Zac Harmon-McLaughlin, Brandi Pruente and Jason Vollmecke said the school board needs to be more transparent, ask more questions and incorporate more community perspectives — including on controversial topics such as book removals and the recent move to a four-day school week.

With the victory of Baird, Pruente and Dixon, the board maintains a majority that has typically voted in unison and supports Superintendent Dale Herl’s vision for the district. But Pruente could change the dynamic of the board, pushing for greater transparency, asking critical questions and joining with current members willing to dissent from the board majority to create more split votes.

Read more about the successful candidates’ positions and priorities in our voter guide.

Three open seats

  • Wendy Baird

Votes: 7,204

Percent: 19%

  • Carrie Dixon (Incumbent) 

Votes: 6,054

Percent: 16%

  • Dennis Green

Votes: 5,091

Percent: 14%

  • Eric Knipp (Incumbent) 

Votes: 5,214

Percent: 14%

  • Brandi Pruente 

Votes: 6,547

Percent: 17%

  • Zac Harmon-McLaughlin

Votes: 4,908

Percent: 13%

  • Jason Vollmecke

Votes: 2,134

Percent: 6% 

Hickman Mills School District

Candidates who won spots on the Hickman Mills school board will join a group whose members have struggled to work together. They lead one of the few districts in Missouri that lacks full accreditation from the state. Superintendent Yaw Obeng told KCUR that the board has gotten better at cooperating in recent months after switching to a co-president system to help unite the two factions on the board.

Obeng said the board had developed a combative culture despite being philosophically aligned. It's not clear how the outcome of the election will affect the dynamic among board members.

Some board members, including then-President Graves, had twice attempted to appoint Clifford Ragan III to a vacant seat after he lost a bid for reelection in 2023, but they faced resistance from other members. Unable to agree, the board opted to let voters fill the spot. Ragan filed for the 2024 election and appeared on the ballot, but was disqualified.

Ragan told KCUR he learned on Friday that he was disqualified. He said he did not receive letters notifying him that a necessary tax form wasn’t received by the Department of Revenue.

Voters selected longtime civil rights leader Alvin Brooks to serve the remaining year of the vacant term. Incumbent co-president Ann Coleman and former board member Bonnaye Mims won full, three-year terms on the board, defeating challengers Cynthia Corn-Wattree and Ron Pearson.

Corn-Wattree told KCUR she withdrew from the race after moving out of the district.

Read more about the successful candidates' positions and priorities in our voter guide.

One-year term seat

  • Alvin Brooks

Votes: 2,972

Percent: 63%

  • Carol Graves (Incumbent)

Votes: 1,711

Percent: 36%

Two 3-year term seats

  • Bonnaye Mims

Votes: 1,815

Percent: 30%

  • Cynthia Corn-Wattree

Votes: 628

Percent: 10%

  • Ann Coleman (Incumbent)

Votes: 2,104

Percent: 35%

  • Ron Pearson

Votes: 1,365

Percent: 23%

Center School District

Three newcomers competed for two spots on the Center school board, hoping to serve a three year term.

Mariah Roady and Michael Sarver won Tuesday’s election, defeating Da’Jion Lymore. Roady’s biggest concern is finding ways to better engage families, especially those that don’t speak English. Sarver’s biggest concern is improving compensation for tenured teachers. Lymore’s focused on ensuring students’ voices are heard so adults can help with their problems.  

Read more about the successful candidates' positions and priorities in our voter guide.

Two open seats:

  • Mariah Roady

Votes: 3,441

Percent: 50%

  • Da’Jion Lymore

Votes: 1,373

Percent: 20%

  • Michael Sarver

Votes: 2,007

Percent: 29%

Clay County

North Kansas City Schools

Most candidates for the North Kansas City school board said they’re happy with how the district has handled challenges to books and supporting transgender students but want to see it do more to support student mental health.

As nine candidates vied for four open spots, the district’s teachers largely wanted to see known quantities on the board. The union representing district teachers endorsed incumbents Jan Kauk, Jane Rinehart and Susan Hines and former board member Joe Jacobs. The local branch of the Missouri State Teachers Association, a professional organization, mostly agreed but supported Aryn Peters instead of Rinehart.

Voters mainly followed the teachers’ lead. They selected Kauk to finish the remaining year of a seat that has been vacant since August, passing over McFerran. Rinehart, Jacobs and Hines won full three-year terms, defeating Peters, Foley, Copeland and Daei. 

Read more about the successful candidates’ positions and priorities in our voter guide.

One-year term seat

  • Jan Kauk (Incumbent) 

Votes: 4,387

Percent: 62%

  • Tammy McFerran

Votes: 2,646

Percent: 38%

Two 3-year term seats

  • Joe Jacobs

Votes: 3,653

Percent: 19%

  • Jane Rinehart (Incumbent) 

Votes: 3,704

Percent: 20%

  • Brock Foley

Votes: 1,709

Percent: 9%

  • Aryn Peters

Votes: 2,937

Percent: 16%

  • Tirdad Daei

Votes: 1,062

Percent: 6%

  • Susan Hines (Incumbent) 

Votes: 3,953

Percent: 21%

  • Roy Copeland III

Votes: 1,908

Percent: 10%

Liberty Public Schools

Three candidates competing for two seats on the Liberty Public Schools board agreed that the district should do more to support student mental health and social emotional learning. But each had a different position on whether the district is striking the right balance on its use of technology in the classroom.

Incumbents Jeffrey “Drew” Marriott and Nicholaus “Nick” Bartlow held onto their spots on the board. Both candidates either thought the district was handling technology well or should do even more to integrate it into classrooms.

Read more about the successful candidates’ positions and priorities in our voter guide.

Two open seats

  • Darren Siebert 

Votes: 3,027

Percent: 26%

  • Jeffrey “Drew” Marriott (Incumbent) 

Votes: 4,244

Percent: 36%

  • Nicholaus “Nick” Bartlow (Incumbent) 

Votes: 4,552

Percent: 39%

Platte County

Park Hill School District

Incumbent Brandy Maltbia Woodley and challenger Harrison Todd said the Park Hill school board is already headed in a good direction. They won. Challenger Sadie Peterson said the district is falling behind on keeping buildings maintained and updated. The three candidates competed for two seats on the board.

With Woodley and Todd’s victory, the board could stay on its current track. But both want to find ways to reduce achievement gaps and ensure all students have equitable opportunities to succeed.

Read more about the successful candidates’ positions and priorities in our voter guide.

Two open seats

  • Brandy Maltbia Woodley (Incumbent) 

Votes: 2234

Percent: 36%

  • Harrison Todd

Votes: 2367

Percent: 38%

  • Sadie Peterson

Votes: 1,586

Percent: 27%

More than ever, education lies at the intersection of equity, housing, funding, and other diverse issues facing Kansas City’s students, families and teachers. As KCUR’s education reporter, I’ll break down the policies driving these issues in schools and report what’s happening in our region's classrooms. You can reach me at jodifortino@kcur.org.
Maria Benevento is the education reporter at The Kansas City Beacon. She is a Report for America corps member.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.