Voters in the Kansas City Public Schools district will go to the polls on April 8 with an important opportunity to maintain the district’s slow but steady progress in educating students.
They must seize that opportunity. Any city that claims first-class status must fully educate its children. It’s Job 1.
It’s also never easy. Improving education in the Kansas City Public School system requires a relentless focus on achievement and performance: Like most urban districts, KCPS educates students who often live in challenging environments. Some are housing insecure, or food insecure, or both.
Some students move frequently. Others face disability challenges. Some must learn English as a second language. And, as in other districts, the COVID-19 interruption has damaged a cohort of children. Their recovery is still underway, and must be sustained.
Kansas City can take a step to provide the tools for an excellent education by passing the $474 million bond issue on the April 8 ballot. Maintaining and improving the physical plant in the district is essential.
But electing thoughtful, qualified board members is extraordinarily important too. Kansas City needs a school board that focuses on student improvement, student and teacher safety and comfort, all while protecting patrons from unnecessary property tax levies.
We applaud the incumbent board’s ability to solve problems quietly and professionally. Students can’t learn, and teachers can’t teach, if board factions are constantly at odds, arguing over curriculum, in-class policies and resource allocation.
Four school board races are on the April ballot. Three are contested. Here are the Star’s recommendations for those contests.
Ford is seeking a second four-year term on the school board. She has extensive experience in education and nonprofit organizations, including time as director of the Kauffman Scholars program.
She’s also the mother of two school-age children, both in the district today. “I am a parent,” she told us. “I was very critical, and pushing for parent engagement to be better. … I am proud of the improvements we have made.”
Ford has a clear eye on the coming challenges for the district, including the loss of federal and state revenue. “That is a real threat,” she said, particularly if the district pursues policies of diversity and inclusion. “We’ve got to make sure we’re not hasty in our decision-making.”
She also gets some credit for the relative peace at district headquarters. That’s a welcome development after years of infighting and conflict. “We’re not the school district that we were decades ago,” she said.
Ford told us teacher recruitment and retention will be a high priority in her next term. Teachers want higher salaries, of course, but they want comfortable working conditions and up-to-date technologies.
“We do have (difficulties) recruiting teachers and staff in certain disciplines,” she said. “We have challenges. There’s a counselor shortage. … We’re trying to think creatively.”
If the $474 million bond passes, the board must do its best to make sure school projects are executed correctly. Ford currently serves as chair of the board’s finance committee, giving her important experience in oversight.
That will also be important if the bond fails. Without the money the bond can provide, the next board will have to be diligent in making improvements where they can, guaranteeing a proper learning environment for the district’s students.
“We have the answers we need within our community,” Ford said. “I think we’re going to have to get very creative during these difficult times … making sure we are the best stewards of the resources that we have.”
Ford’s opponent for the at-large seat is Joe Nelson. He is an impressive candidate, with clear-eyed views on improving education and school-to-school equity in the district.
But Ford, the incumbent, has given voters no reason to deny her a second term on the board. She has helped make the schools better, and we believe she will continue that progress over the next four years.
“If I’m reelected, I’m going to start Day 1 having four years of experience, and ready to tackle all of the new things that come along,” she said. “I’m thinking about all of our children, but my two children included. And so I bring a lot of experience and a lot of care, concern and compassion for this school district.”
We recommend Tanesha Ford for this seat.
Like Tanesha Ford, Cortes is an incumbent, serving on the board since 2019. Cortes is currently the chair of the school board.
Cortes represents Subdistrict 1, which begins roughly at 30th Street, then going south to 79th Street. Its western border is State Line; on the east, Gillham Road and Main Street.
She’s extraordinarily qualified for the job. She’s a lawyer, with a post-graduate degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She’s worked with schools and private health care organizations as well as the district.
“We have to have a strong and healthy school system,” she said. “It’s not complicated, and it’s very complicated at the same time.”
Cortes deserves some credit for her work to keep the board on task, each member treating the others with respect. “I’m one of seven,” she told us. “I think I have been an important piece of ensuring that we deal with tough questions, but that we always figure out how to progress KCPS and not get in the way of the progression of KCPS.”
Like the other candidates in this race, Cortes supports passage of the $474 million bond issue. If it passes, the former Southwest High building will be repurposed as a middle school. Cortes understands the districts’ ongoing challenge of closed buildings and redrawn school boundaries, which undergo consistent pressure as attendance and housing patterns change.
“You can’t close your way to success,” she said. “We can’t just throw up your hands and quit.”
Cortes said she strongly supports Superintendent Jennifer Collier, who was recently awarded a three-year contract. She gives Collier well-deserved credit for improving several district outcomes. After decades of a revolving door in the superintendent’s office, stability is welcome.
Cortes’ opponent in this race is Kelly Thompson. Thompson spent about 10 years as a journalist, which no voter should hold against her. She has two children in the district.
Thompson told us she’s concerned about some staffing decisions in the district, which is appropriate. She says she supports more two-way communication between board members and parents, which is also a good idea.
“Where KCPS has struggled is, there’s a lot of information that comes out but it’s not a partnership relationship that has been created,” she said. There is some truth to that claim, and the board must work harder to make sure all patrons buy into its vision.
Thompson seemed less familiar with some district budget policies and decisions than Cortes, who chairs the board. That’s less a criticism of Thompson than an acknowledgment of Cortes’ experience, which recommends her here.
The next school board will face enormously difficult decisions, whether the bond issue passes or not. It will need steady, experienced leadership – and membership – to continue the district’s record of progress.
Rita Cortes will provide that leadership, and we recommend a vote for her in Subdistrict 1.
This subdistrict includes much of south Kansas City east of the Gillham corridor. We narrowly recommend Brittany Foley for this seat.
Foley has an interesting background. She works as a paralegal for the federal public defender’s office, working on capital crimes. She lives in south Kansas City and has a child in the district.
She has been active in helping parents communicate with school leaders and the district. She told us many parents in her neighborhood were intimidated by school leadership, so problems would fester.
“I felt like there weren’t any leaders that really reflected the people, the parents in my district,” she said. “So I decided to step up. … I was tired of being in a district where the leaders didn’t represent the normal everyday parents.”
If there is a common theme of criticism of the current board, it’s a lack of true communication and involvement with parents and board leadership. We think that’s an area for improvement, and Foley can help in that process.
Foley is also concerned with equity among buildings in the district. That’s an important goal, and it will become more important – and difficult – if the $474 million bond issue passes. The board must remember that the students at Central deserve as much attention, and resources, as the students at Lincoln, or any other district building.
“I just really want to uplift and support our neighborhood schools because this is the bulk of Kansas City citizens that come and go to these schools,” she said.
“Every student should have reliable technology, a safe way to get to school, and well-maintained facilities,” Foley’s campaign website says. “I want to make sure after-school clubs, sports, and enrichment activities are available to all, helping students explore their interests and stay engaged. This comprehensive approach ensures that our children’s opportunities aren’t limited by their ZIP code.”
Foley has endorsed the $474 million bond issue, but she has also thought about what happens if it doesn’t get the needed four-sevenths approval. “There needs to be some more conversations,” she said. “I need to know why it didn’t pass. I’ve heard from neighbors why they don’t agree with the bond, but I feel like there needs to be more conversation.”
Bruce Beatty is the other candidate in the Subdistrict 5 race. He’s a former Kansas City employee, and has bachelor’s and post-graduate degrees. He is providing care for three school-age children now in the district.
Beatty is properly concerned with travel challenges in the district. “We have some youth that from day-to-day, they’re in a different location,” he said. “You don’t want that child going from one elementary school to another every other week or every other month.” He’s correct.
In other ways Beatty shows familiarity with the challenges facing the parents and students in his district. We think he would make a good addition to the board if voters support his candidacy.
In this race, though, we think Brittany Foley’s background and record make her the better choice.
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