Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for Shawnee Mission Board of Education to address leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to Shawnee Mission district patrons.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
With an increasingly diverse student body, school districts like Shawnee Mission are putting more resources into training teachers and staff on ways to make schools and classrooms more inclusive and welcoming to all students. These initiatives, at times, have come under scrutiny, with critics saying diversity and inclusion efforts can take away from academic instruction or politicize the schoolhouse. Do you agree with how Blue Valley is currently approaching diversity, equity and inclusion? Why or why not?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
SM North Area
Mario Garcia III
I support every effort to create a welcoming learning environment for all students and staff. We know students who feel a sense of belonging and connectedness at school are more likely to experience greater academic achievement. The school district’s strategic plan — crafted by teachers, admin, parents and community stakeholders — reinforces the desire for DEI training, knowing how rich in diversity SMSD is.
Ensuring that teachers and staff have the tools necessary to equitably address the diversity in their school is significant to the culture of SMSD and important to the well-being of our students. If we are going to ask that students come to school ready to learn, then we need to create the space for them to be themselves.
Ron Occhiogrosso
As I believe I made clear during the recent live forum, I do not think that the district is spending money wisely. The recent hiring of a full-time DEI coordinator means a salary that could be better spent to help students with the basics — the good old 3 R’s — and help improve the low scores that have been plaguing the district in ELA, Math and Science.
Furthermore, while I understand about increasing diversity, what I don’t understand is why the district is so concerned about it. Seems to me that the number of students in this diverse pool is not but a couple of percent. What about the far greater percentage of the general student body that gets short changed? And several years back the Deep Equity program was yet another example of a use of a large sum of money (over $315,000) was obviously moved away from other more important uses such as vocational training. We sure can use a whole lot more trained mechanics, electricians, carpenters and construction workers. Why not do what we can to help promote more interest and training in those areas?
And I do agree that the DEIB programs definitely do create a strong sense of politicization of the classroom? Why oh why can’t schools be left to teaching the core subject areas and NOT a place for political agendas?
SM South Area
Jessica Hembree (incumbent)
During my first term, SMSD made strides on diversity, equity and inclusion by hiring an equity coordinator to support this work, providing professional development for staff, and beginning to diversify our teaching workforce to better reflect students. But continued focus remains crucial.
With caring teachers as guides, students should be able to dig deeper into our complex history, especially marginalized groups’ experiences. Avoiding difficult topics surrounding race, identity and oppression prevents important lessons about hard truths from our past. An inclusive education based on diverse perspectives fosters critical thinking, empathy and engaged citizenship.
As a board member and parent, I believe learning requires openness, not shrinking from discomfort. With community partnership, we can nurture schools where all students engage with complex topics, as informed, empathetic citizens depend on an inclusive education.
My priority is every child having the freedom to feel safe at school, get a tailored, world-class education and access mental health support to reach their potential. As a board member, I will create space for teachers to foster growth, while rejecting attempts to limit curriculum based on political pressure. Our students deserve schools that prepare them to navigate diversity and thrive in a complex world. With community collaboration, we can ensure schools unlock every child’s talents.
Mark Tallent
Did not provide the Post with a response.
SM Northwest Area
Jamie Borgman (incumbent)
Diversity is the districts greatest strength. All students should feel safe, included and that they belong. I support the districts DEI initiatives.
The district is no longer following Corwin, a program which has come under scrutiny. DEI is an important issue not only for our district, but for our society.
Does SMSD get it right all day every day? Unfortunately not. However, the district is not afraid to lean into these conversations for the benefit of ALL kids. I welcome and appreciate healthy, productive conversations which help ALL voices to be heard which ultimately leads to better understanding.
Lynn McLarty
I certainly support efforts that yield the value that comes from real diversity (in many forms), equality of opportunity and inclusion & belonging insofar as that means creating a safe, welcoming, encouraging learning environment for all students. However, the manner in which, SMSD has chosen to implement and execute on these characteristics has, unfortunately, produced the opposite results — and at a great cost, both literally (financial) and for our students.
In 2019, the district spent $313,582.57 to purchase a three-year license from Corwin for curriculum called Deep Equity. They, also, hired a full-time DEI administrator. Also, during that period, a workshop featured a course called Black Lives Matter in the Classroom. During those three years the district developed in-house experts and they developed their own in-house DEI program that they refer to as DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging).
My opponent stated they would prioritize more DEIB as the most important way to improve academics, yet SMSD academics have continued to decline over the entire period of this major DEIB initiative. There is also no local evidence that this current approach to valuing diversity, equality of opportunity, inclusion and belonging is producing a positive effect on academics.
I do support the district’s stated goal of providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students. Teachers should be expected to demonstrate behaviors that are desirable to develop students that support that kind of environment by expressing kindness, caring, empathy, acts of goodwill, smiles, positive words, earnest listening, relating to one another and teaching them to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. The DEIB, as implemented by the SMSD, is completely contrary to this approach.
At-Large Area
David Westbrook
Our children will become adults in a world of increasing diversity. As technology accelerates the collapse of boundaries defined by geography, culture and distance, people will be exposed to more and more different countries, customs and cultures. The capacity to compete in this environment will be determined first by proficiency in academics. Shawnee Mission thrives in that academic arena. So too should we thrive in showing our young people the richness of our global community.
As our student population becomes more diverse, so too should there be greater diversity among classroom teachers and paraprofessionals, principals and other administrative leaders. As we strive for greater diversity though, we must first and foremost hire people who can fulfill our promise of academic excellence.
The story of America is truly a story of social progress and the achievement of greater economic prosperity. Such progress and prosperity are achievements enabled by devotion to a high-quality education – such as the education traditionally available to students in the Shawnee Mission schools – and devotion to respect for equality of opportunity and the creation of a compassionate place that makes everyone feel welcomed to belong. Strong public schools will always lead to a stronger democracy.
Logan Austin
Did not provide the Post with a response.
Tomorrow, we will publish candidates’ responses to the next question:
School boards, including Shawnee Mission’s, have in recent years been faced with requests from some parents to remove books and other materials from school libraries or classrooms, often because of the books’ sexual content. The American Library Association says the books most frequently targeted for challenges last year were those with LGTBQ themes or authors. As a board member, what principles and standards will you use to determine whether a book or other material should be removed from a school library or classroom? How frequently, if at all, should this occur?
