KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Tuesday, the Hickman Mills C-1 School District hosted a watch party as Superintendent Yaw Obeng presented to the Missouri State School Board on an accreditation decision.
A Missouri state rule allows local school boards to request reconsideration of classification.
"We’ve been waiting many years for this, and we’ve done the work to be successful," Obeng said.
The district lost its accreditation status in 2012. Since then, Obeng said it has been a years-long battle to secure a reclassification.
KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis has followed the topic closely. District leaders said all scores have improved across reading, math and science, showing Hickman Mills can "sustain the success."
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On Tuesday’s agenda, the board did not make a motion to reconsider and reclassify Hickman Mills.
“The Department recommends that the Board make no change to the classification designation of the Hickman Mills C-1 School District," the online agenda read.
Hickman Mills hosted the watch party at the newly opened Real World Learning Center. About two dozen educators, students, families and community leaders came together to witness what they hoped would be a “pivotal moment in the district’s history”.
In Obeng's presentation to the Missouri State Board of Education, which determines the district’s accreditation status, he said the district's accreditation status is "critical to the future of its students, educators and the community."
Obeng became emotional as he pleaded to the board.
“I hope you can listen to the stories of the students and staff and the success they’ve seen," Obeng said. "Regardless of whatever decision is made today, we are proud of our achievements that go far beyond test scores."
Justin Robinson, a spokesperson for the school district, explained the state board's decision will “shape the district’s ability to provide high-quality education, expand resources and continue its mission of student success.”
In November, data from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showed Hickman Mills' APR score was 72.7%.
Obeng believes there were multiple inconsistencies and errors caused by the DESE reporting system, meaning the district's score should be 76.7% because of missing points in grading criteria, such as graduation rate data and continuous improvement scores.
“We’re still over the threshold — we're going to celebrate and acknowledge the hard work we've done, but we’d still like to hear from DESE and the state to take the action needed to reclassify," Obeng said.
Mallory McGowin, chief communication officer at DESE, sent KSHB 41 a statement in November addressing Obeng's concerns:
"DESE is aware of Hickman Mills’ concern with data accuracy; the department believes, however, that Hickman Mills is misunderstanding the calculation of the APR. DESE will continue to work with Hickman Mills directly to resolve these questions."
Lisa Sireno, assistant commissioner of DESE's Office of Quality Schools, addressed the board from Jefferson City on Tuesday as to why DESE recommended not changing Hickman Mills' reclassification status.
“Where we really see this remarkable improvement from 62.5% to 72.7% between 2023 and 2024, Hickman Mills has made great progress through intentional effort over time, and we're really pleased to see this increase but we still see a composite score that's not yet at 70% on these numbers,” Sireno said. “Their request for a reconsideration request calls for action outside of our established classification process, which indicates calls for review of multiple years of data before making changes in that classification.
"There are multiple years of data, and those multiple composites are important so that we understand that changes — whether positive or negative — are systemic and sustained over time to inform recommendations. So, in this case, we don't have those years of data needed to make the requirement for change according to the process. So, therefore, the department recommends that the board adhere to the MSIP6 process and make no change to the current designation for Hickman Mills.”
Multiple board members congratulated the school district on its success and growth in academics, but, ultimately, the district was not awarded accreditation.
“No action from this board at this time,” said one board member.
At the watch party, multiple community members and educators said they would not give up hope. They expressed they will continue to be relentless as the rejection meant, "Not right now."
“I’m inspired for the next steps,” said Wakisha Briggs, former Hickman Mills School District Board President. “Our team has been working extremely hard from the top down. The staff members, the teachers, the ELT team, the board of education the community stakeholders our legislators, state leaders have been working hand in hand to support this district for years now and, we didn’t get the news we wanted today but we are pleased with having a seat at the table to talk about it.”
“It just means not right now,” Briggs said. “We have to stay inspired for our kids, our kids are working hard every single day.”
“Delayed does not mean denied,” said Dr. Erica Edwards, Hickman Mills School District. “We are going to continue to put forth our efforts and show up for our students. We all must believe, believe our beliefs drive our actions. If we continue to believe we can, we will. I do stand by delayed does not mean denied and I look forward to seeing, I know the day is coming, it’s just not today.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.