When Parkville resident Brandy Woodley decided to run for a seat on the Park Hill Board of Education her goal was to be a voice for those in the community who believe they don’t matter, or belong, and that their voice will never be heard.
As the Tuesday, April 6 election inches closer, Woodley’s hope is that a win will allow her the opportunity to ask the hard questions that need to be broached, and she wants to be an asset of unification to her future fellow board members.
If she wins the election, she will be the first African American to serve on the Park Hill School Board.
Brandy Woodley
“The most rewarding aspect of breaking that glass barrier that has been fortified for decades would be showing my three beautiful Black daughters that anything is possible, showing them and all children of color that no matter the struggle, the differences or who tells you ‘no you can’t;’ yes, you can!” Woodley said. “The work and road will be tough, but the fact that my community voted me into the position would mean that they believe that it is time, and there is a need for a person of color to be represented at the board level.
“ It would also mean that there is a desire for equity, belonging and rigorous learning for every student, and a belief that I will work on behalf of them all. Becoming a PHSD board member, I hope that it would encourage others who’ve never had the courage or desire to, to step out and serve within our community.”
Her experience in education includes: adjunct instructor, substitute teacher, educational assistant and long-term special education substitute teacher. She took these positions to have a job that was flexible with her Army family’s lifestyle.
Woodley said she could competently do the work, because she met the required hiring criteria and had worked in corporate America. Her career has allowed her to work in different organizational cultures and with diverse groups of coworkers. However, she said the field of education was indeed a harder one to work in than expected, at least emotionally.
Her hope now is to help students and families by being a member of the school board.
“I want to learn from each board member and work within our constructs to bring a fresh perspective on decisions, and help our community to see the PHSD Board as an agent working for every student to be well-prepared, successful and to feel a true sense of belonging,” Woodley said.
While many students in the area are thriving, Woodley says there are also many children in the community that are barely making it through, accomplishing just enough to obtain a diploma but unable to say they are truly prepared to go on to college or enter the career field.
“In this great district, our vision promises that we are building successful futures for each student, every day,” Woodley said. “I am sure that all who believe in this vision find it as unacceptable as I do that we have yet to fulfill that promise to each student and their families. A school district is a community, and there is no true success in a community for someone who feels they do not belong. If a student, a teacher, or a family does not feel that they are a valued, accepted, integral part of a school community, they will not share in the joy of the successes reserved for those who belong. Students in the margins don’t gain the confidence and emotional stability required to thrive, and the schools miss out on graduating a scholar who could have blossomed and been greater, a missed mark of excellence for the district.”
She believes that while nothing is perfect in the world, there are ways to improve and strive for excellence, and those pathways must be walked and the rough places made navigable so that as a whole, the Park Hill School District, its communities, businesses, and most importantly, its scholars will truly be of excellence through guaranteeing equity, belonging and rigorous learning for all.
“I would like to work with other PHSD board members on everything; but most importantly would be equity: in curriculum, student demographics, diverse teacher representation, learning styles and more,” Woodley said. “I would like to support my fellow members in making informed, district-aligned decisions to allocate funding that will improve equity and opportunities for students, families, administrators and teachers.”
Woodley said she will be running for:
Every parent and guardian that yearns to make changes in the district, but time, obligations and resources may not be on their side
Every child who has heard, or been the target of slurs due to some aspect of their identity: race, socio-economic, gender identity, culture, sexual orientation or color
Every family working and providing diligently to help their child fit in at school
Every teacher who has seen learning and emotional gaps but has limited time, unavailable resources, and outdated and unengaging curriculum from which to work
Every students’ academic success and their various learning styles and needs, like IEPs, 504 plans and Bridges programs
Every family that doesn’t feel included within their district community yet presses forward because of the great opportunities offered by the Park Hill School District
Every student, teacher, parent, administrator, faculty member and guardian to be able to say in truth, “I Belong at Park Hill”
My three daughters to know that they do not have to settle for less than what they deserve: a relevant education in a safe, caring environment that prepares them and their peers for success in life
Over the years, she has chaired and participated in various organizations. Her honors, service and prior affiliations include: 2013 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, EMA, El Paso, Texas; Delta Mu Delta (Business Society), Habitat for Humanity – Education Committee, Human Resources Management Association, Kansas City Chapter- Co-Chairman of the Diversity Committee, Kansas City Compensation & Benefits Association (KCCBA), National Association of African Americans in Human Resources, Kansas City Chapter, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society, National Association of Professional Women, National INROADS Alumni Association, Phi Sigma Iota – President (Northwest Missouri State University), Society for Human Resources Management and Society for Human Resources Global Forum, United States Army Sergeants Major Academy – Senior Spouse Leadership Course and U.S. Army Spouse and Family Readiness Group, co-leader and volunteer. She also had a business, Soaring Dove Enterprises for 13 years.
She now works at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., as editor, (print media) for the Department of Military History at the Command and General Staff College.
As we slowly head out of the pandemic, she believes the school board should push to identify and monitor the student and process deficiencies that evolved during the pandemic’s necessity of hybrid and distant learning environments.
Questions she would ask about the year’s challenges would include how many parents chose to divert from the Park Hill learning options and were all options explored to try to retain student numbers.
She would also want to know how the 2020-21 school year affected students’ academic performance and their mental health and if the building administrators and teachers feel supported, along with, what were the pros and cons and how can we improve moving forward with lessons learned.
“I would ask, could the success of other surrounding districts work within PHSD and how did new and reformed Missouri legislation and education policies aid or hinder PHSD, and how can the district work to apply the beneficial and prevent the unfavorable in our district. I think the board should compare all aspects of the budget, doing a complete comparative analysis of at least the two previous years to the 2020-21 school year. Then, funding should be allocated appropriately and with equity after final analysis to areas most beneficial to the needs of all students and district initiatives.”
She believes that to be a good board member, a person must have some level of compassion and desire for student success and well being when working in education.
Her favorite memories of working in education include kids running up to her and giving them hugs while they shared their stories, and being the soothing hand-off, from mom to classroom for a first-grader who didn’t want to leave his mother in the mornings.
“When a sixth-grade girl stayed in from recess to confide her insecurities of fitting in to me, my heart ached for her and every girl trying to find herself,” Woodley said. “When special education, fourth-grader, Alex, ran from his teacher and classroom across an open campus trying to control his emotions and anger, and I was the only one he wanted to walk with him to the disciplinary office, the ache in my heart deepened for students that need nurturing outside the home.”
Woodley’s biggest concerns about education in 2021 are:
Equity: When any student, family or neighborhood is shown partiality or unfairness due to socio-economic standing, beliefs, race, gender identity, sexual orientation or diverse learning needs, our community as a whole simply cannot be as promising and united as it should be. The most impactful movements, ideas and products evolved from collaboration with diverse individuals. In valuing and respecting differences, especially of backgrounds, views, races, and economic standings, equity can prevail.
Representation: Students should be able to walk in their school and see some reflection, and representation, of themselves somewhere in that school building’s teachers and administration. It decreases the categorization of being “other” and being “minority” two times over. There are 57 different languages spoken in the Park Hill community, and yet our board, district office and the majority of schools do not reflect such cultural richness. In respect to teacher diversity, PHSD needs to have improved hiring and recruiting practices. For example, has human resources ever thought about going to historically Black colleges or universities to recruit teachers?
Access and Opportunity: Every student should be introduced, invited and given the opportunity to participate in student organizations, clubs, sports and leadership positions. The most talented and highest academic achievers should not get the spotlight all the time. Teachers and administrators should identify some greatness in every child, even if it is just showing up. That may be a daily achievement for a child that may not have the support and push to even go to school daily.
Teachers’ Value: Teachers are the important link, the superheroes, who spend hours with our children weekly (sometimes up to eight or more hours with after-school activities). They see the gaps, the needs, the silent cries for help, as well as the goodness, the hard work, the desire to be great in the students. I believe that their voices deserve more power in what drives the Park Hill district. They also need to be provided with resources and tools to be effective in efforts and fulfilling district and building initiatives, not continuously adding to their overflowing platters of professional development, lesson planning, virtual transitions, sponsoring, surveys, coaching, student assessments, grading and simply teaching.
“I am running because I have an exercised and strong heart to see each and every student be a scholar in their own right and have the best educational experience and instruction possible,” Woodley said. “Our students deserve curriculum that prepares them to live, work, succeed and be a positive asset in our diverse world; to become an independent citizen with a strong educational foundation and exposure to greatness that is our community and our nation. In this great district, our vision promises that we are building successful futures for each student every day, and I am sure that all who believe in this vision find it as unacceptable as I do that we have yet to fulfill that promise to each student and their families.
“I have spoken to, and heard from several parents during my campaign virtual meet and greets and as a member of the Walden Middle School Equity and Inclusion Advisory Group and the Park Hill South High School Inclusion and Equity Family Advisory Council. The topics that were repeated throughout were equity; diversity; better administration and support for students of IEP, 504 plans and Bridges programs; transparent communication from the district level; and access and opportunity hurdles. I hope to be a voice to those challenges and seek impact to alleviate them.”