Columbia’s three school board candidates took to the stage Thursday night to discuss the biggest issues facing the city’s school district. The Columbia Missouri National Education Association hosted the forum and asked questions about equity, teacher salaries, guns in schools, and safety.
Former social scientist Della Streaty-Willhoit emphasized her desire to reduce the achievement gap between black and white students in Columbia.
Moderators asked the candidates about the recent redistricting which will cause Battle High School to have 56 percent of enrolled students on the free and reduced lunch program, and reduce Rock Bridge high school to just 18 percent. Free and reduced lunch is a strong indicator of poverty rates in schools.
Streaty-Willhoit said she wants to use assessment tools when redistributing resources.
“Let’s just remember that all schools need resources,” Streaty-Willhoit said. “Every time I visit a school, every principal is looking out for their teachers and for their students, and they are saying that it ties into the socio-economic status and achievement.”
Jay Atkins, on the other hand, said he did not follow the redistricting.
“We knew that wouldn’t affect us, so I probably haven’t followed it as closely as I should,” Atkins said. “The logical conclusion is that we need to make sure that school has enough resources to address that need.”
Blake Willoughby, a Ph.D student at University of Missouri, said he supports reallocating funds to support needier students.
“If they don’t get those resources,” Willoughby said, “that means we’re not going to be able to meet our academic goals for them, what they’re wanting in their life ready plan, and what we want to see of them.”
Each candidate had a pet issue for their platform. For Streaty-Willhoit, it is equity and fixing the achievement gap between black and white students. Atkins, a local lawyer, emphasizes the need to get every student reading by third grade, regardless of race or socioeconomic class. And Willoughby, an art educator, emphasized the need to bring art into schools and prepare students for life after graduation.
March 6 is the deadline to register to vote, and the school board election is April 2.