Six candidates — including two incumbents — are seeking two available seats on the Park Hill School District’s board of education.
Incumbents Kimberlee Ried and Kyla Yamada are featured in this issue, with newcomer Brandy Woodley featured in the March 10 issue. Other candidates in the race include Tammy Thompson, Alberto Rivera and Jay Blumenthal.
KIMBERLEE RIED
Kimberlee Ried has served on the Park Hill board since 2017 and said she is running again because she is a big believer in public education. She believes that public education, public health and public safety are critical tenets in safeguarding a successful and productive society.
“For me, it’s about ensuring our community has strong advocates around education for all,” Ried said. “Every student matters and should have equitable access to the same quality teaching and learning.”
Ried
Her service as a board member on non-profits include the Black Archives of Mid-America; Historic Kansas City Foundation; the Junior League of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet Guild.
“I bring significant nonprofit experience, including financial acumen and governance knowledge, to the Park Hill School District, which I believe adds value at the board table,” Ried said.
She and her husband have a son who attends Park Hill South and she believes his time at the school has been very worthwhile
“He is thinking about law school, which I know comes from his experiences in debate class,” Ried said. “Quite honestly, I’ve been very impressed with the quality of education he has received.”
The family has been in the district since 1990. The Rieds live in Kansas City North but they love Parkville.
Issues that concern Ried about education in 2021 include changing views on public education.
“The anti-public education sentiment that has taken root across the nation and particularly in Missouri with a push toward school choice, vouchers and charter schools concerns me.” Ried said. “It is probably one of my biggest concerns because I have not seen Missouri lawmakers show me a clear path or plan of how that model works well for all Missouri students. And if legislation is enacted (which I fear it will be at some point), all students will suffer. Most of them are not old enough to vote or have a voice in who represents them. So it is incumbent upon those of us who can impact change to do so.”
As society slowly heads out of the pandemic, Ried believes first and foremost, students returning to class signals resumption of a new normal in school buildings.
She also wants to make sure the school board is continuing to move the needle forward on their Comprehensive School Improvement Plan goals related to both equity and social and emotional learning and narrowing the achievement gap.
“We have made good progress, but we still have more work to accomplish,” Ried said. “Defining what a 21st-century quality public education looks like is probably one of the key areas we need to continue examining. We have begun our work around an online academy for Park Hill, but how that grows, changes and evolves remains to be seen. I want every Park Hill student to graduate career, college and life-ready. What that takes over the next decade or so will probably change. We must be ready as a team to accomplish the goals.”
One of the challenges that Ried believes students face that she would like to help alleviate is a struggle, at times, with resiliency.
“It is one of the areas I’ve noticed lately, however, I will say the pandemic seems to have somewhat altered that struggle as many students have learned what ‘pivot’ really means this past year,” Ried said. “Mental health is also an area where I see students struggling. We’ve put several items in place to address mental health concerns, but students with high incidences of trauma tend to be at a higher risk for mental instability. It is something we must continue to work on.”
As a returning board member, Ried’s goals would include focusing on navigating a new world in education with the expectation around online learning.
Park Hill will be offering online learning as an option for all students moving forward into the next academic year.
“Determining this format’s success measures is key as Park Hill is known for offering quality learning and being what I term a ‘destination district’ in which families move here because of our high-quality teaching,” Ried said. “Also, Park Hill has been doing work around diversity, equity, access and inclusion for a number of years. Continuing to work on the goals we’ve established around these efforts is also critical. I want every student to know they belong in Park Hill – because they do!”
In her four years on the school board, Ried said that this year has been, “in a nutshell,” the most difficult.
“In early 2020, we could not have anticipated the pandemic’s magnitude and the fallout it would bring,” Ried said. “Our most recent redistricting process looks like a piece of cake in comparison. Not knowing how we were going to offer virtual and in-person learning last summer was not only difficult for families but for the board as well. It was like trying to navigate a path blindfolded with one’s arms tied down and no map.”
Even with the challenging moments, Ried has found much that has been rewarding. She loves attending the annual district-wide student art fair each year where she spends most of a day looking at every piece the students create.
Attending football and soccer games reinforces a sense of community for her, especially around homecoming time with people engaging in the parades.
“But overall, hands down, the number one most rewarding activity is graduation day,” Ried said. “So many of our students have worked very hard for years to achieve that diploma, and it’s an honor and privilege to help hand out 800 to 900 of them each year.”
KYLA YAMADA
Kyla Yamada chose to run for the Park Hill School board initially because she is passionate about her Park Hill community and public education. She was very active in the community as a volunteer prior to becoming a school board member three years ago.
Yamada
She is excited to be running again in the April 6 election and hopes to continue to work with the other members to ensure that local students get the best education possible.
“Public education has been under attack on both the state and federal levels throughout the past few legislative sessions,” Yamada said. “We have already seen legislation around charter schools expansion and tax credit scholarships/vouchers introduced in Missouri this session that promises to be detrimental to public schools. We have to continue to be strong advocates for public education.”
Yamada has served on the Delta Xi of Delta Delta Delta Education Foundation Board and served as both secretary and president for that organization. She also served as secretary for a small local not-for-profit called the Stephen Corbin Heart of Gold Foundation.
She and her husband Brian have lived in the Park Hill School District in Parkville for 15 years.
Their three children are Park Hill students. Son Jack is a freshman at the LEAD Innovation Studio, daughter Annie is a seventh-grader at Walden Middle School, and daughter Callie is a fifth-grader at Union Chapel Elementary.
After a difficult year of COVID-19 challenges, board members are focused on a safe return to full-time school.
“We know that COVID has wreaked havoc on the social-emotional well-being of both staff and students alike,” Yamada said. “We need to make certain that we are equipped and ready to help deal with those issues. Similarly, there will be academic gaps that will need to be addressed. We will continue to work toward the goals outlined in our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. Those include making certain our graduates are college, career and life-ready; prioritizing the social-emotional health of our students; and ensuring success for all of our students regardless of background. Park Hill has been facing and addressing issues around diversity, equity and inclusion for the past five years or so, and has been working to remove barriers to student success. That work will continue as we move forward.”
Student challenges that Yamada is focused on helping to alleviate include, diversity, equity and inclusion, and they remain top priorities for the district. The focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is one of the main tenets of the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. “It is an enormous issue that requires continuous training, reflection and growth,” Yamada said. “As our student population continues to increase, it will be more important than ever that we remain committed and vigilant in our pursuit of equity and inclusiveness.”
Yamada is passionate about Park Hill and her community. She believes that quality public schools are the core of quality communities.
“Public schools, economic development, property value and quality of life are all intertwined,” Yamada said. “I believe in quality public education for our students in Park Hill today, and for future Park Hill students. With my background, knowledge, and experience both professionally and as a current board member, I can help provide the leadership it takes to keep moving Park Hill forward.”
Yamuda can’t imagine having a more challenging year than 2020, as teachers and board members were forced to pivot to continue providing an education for students during a global pandemic. “COVID impacted so many facets of our district and what we do,” Yamada said. “It was truly all encompassing.”
She most enjoys the interaction between students and staff.
“I love being in our schools to see the amazing things that are happening there,” Yamada said. “Getting to hand out diplomas at graduation is also a highlight of the job.”