KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The superintendent of the Park Hill School District announced plans Tuesday to step down at the end of the school year.
In a news release late Tuesday, Jeanette Cowherd said she will leave the district when her contract expires on June 30, 2022.
“I absolutely love this school district – the students, staff, families and community – and I want nothing but the best for Park Hill, now and in the future,” Dr. Cowherd said in the release. “I am proud of the work that we have accomplished together. Updating and building new facilities for our students and staff, redistricting, school start times, believing in our vision that high school could look different without sacrificing high expectations and academic integrity, working toward our goal that every student in the district has access and opportunities and feels safe and welcome in our schools, providing recognition to our staff for their amazing work, and always putting the needs of our students first."
Park Hill School District Board of Education President Janice Bolin said the district will launch a nationwide effort to find Cowherd's replacement.
“We appreciate Dr. Cowherd’s leadership and her commitment to our Park Hill community,” Bolin said. “She will be dearly missed, and she will be a hard act to follow.”
Cowherd has led the district through the start of a 2021-22 school year that included students at Park Hill South High School circulating a petition calling for the return of slavery.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Cowherd posted a video on the district’s website vowing to lead efforts to improve diversity and inclusion throughout the district.
Cowherd has served as superintendent in the district since 2015.
Following word of her resignation, Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he was sorry to see her step down.
“Jeanette Cowherd has been an outstanding and transformative leader for the Park Hill School District,” the mayor said.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
