KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Most Kansas City-area school districts and Metropolitan Community College will conduct board member elections Tuesday as part of annual statewide April special elections.
Park Hill, which has one of the more contentious school board races, is among them.
School board races in Missouri are non-partisan but such elections have become increasingly political across the country in recent years amid COVID-19 safety procedures and debates about school curriculum.
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There are eight candidates vying for two vacancies in Park Hill, where neither of the incumbents are seeking re-election.
Two new members will be elected from a field that includes Shereka Barnes, Kelli Johnson, Jason Keck, Christopher LaCour, Jeff Runyan, Corey Terrell, Daryl Terwilleger and Tammy Thompson.
But Park Hill is hardly the only school board race in the Kansas City-area Tuesday. Here are some others of note:
- Blue Springs R-IV School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of four, including incumbents Rhonda Gilstrap and Bobby Hawk;
- Center No. 58 School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of three, including incumbent Ronald Fritz;
- Fort Osage R-1 School District voters will elect two school members from a field of six, including incumbents Tim Brown and Sharon A. Dankenbring;
- Grain Valley R-V Schools voters will elect two school board members from a field of five, including incumbents Julie Groff and Michael Hackett;
- Grandview C-4 School District voters will see two school board races on the ballot — one will elect two members from a field of three, including incumbent Dawn Foy, and the other features two candidates to complete an unexpired term, including interim appointee Stacy Wright;
- Hickman Mills C-1 School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of four, including incumbent Cecil E. Wattree;
- Independence School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of five, including incumbents Jill Esry and Matt Mallinson;
- Lee’s Summit R-7 School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of eight, including incumbent Mike Allen;
- Liberty School District voters will elect two new school board members from a field of six;
- Lone Jack C-6 School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of four newcomers;
- Metropolitan Community College voters in Subdistrict 6 will choose between incumbent Michael R. Brown and Chris Benjamin for trustee;
- North Kansas City School District voters will elect two board members from a field of eight, including incumbents Terry Ward and Frances Yang;
- Oak Grove R-VI School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of four, including incumbent Montie Tripp;
- Platte County R-III School District voters will elect two new board members from a field of eight;
- Raytown C-2 School District voters will elect two school board members from a field of five, including incumbents Bobbie Salusberry and Natalie Johnson-Berry.
Additionally in Clay County, Clinton County R-III, East Buchanan C-1, Excelsior Springs, Kearney R-I, Lawson R-XIV, Platte County R-III and Smithville R-II voters will see contested school board races on the ballot.
Cass County voters in the Harrisonville R-IX, Holden R-III, Midway R-I, Pleasant Hill R-III, Raymore-Peculiar R-II, Sherwood R-VIII school districts will see contested school board races as well.
