photo by: Meeting screenshot

Six candidates for the Lawrence school board answer questions from the Lawrence branch of the NAACP President Ursula Minor, top-center, during a forum on Sept. 30, 2021.

While the six candidates running for the Lawrence school board all believe equity is a priority for the district, many of them have different ideas on how to make sure students are receiving the resources and opportunities they need.

The candidates shared some of those ideas — including pursuing new resources and creating new education programs — during a forum Thursday evening that was hosted by the Lawrence branch of the NAACP.

Incumbent Kelly Jones, who helped create a new equity policy for the school board earlier this year, said board members’ work on equity often comes down to resource distribution in the district’s budget. She said that it’s important to distinguish between equity, or improving outcomes for students who are disadvantaged, and equality, or giving all students the same resources. That means the board may focus on providing more resources to certain groups who have been historically disadvantaged, she said.

“That is not because you do not prioritize all students, but because you understand that when you redistribute resources in that way, you increase the opportunity for every student to achieve,” she said.

She also said the district recently promoted Cynthia Johnson, who was previously interim principal at Lawrence High School, to a new administration position focused on improving inclusion and belonging for students. She said that was an important step that would help students feel that they belong in their schools and that they can succeed there.

G.R. Gordon-Ross, who is also an incumbent, said it’s important to make sure the district’s students, particularly students of color, can see themselves reflected in the teaching staff and curriculum. Administrators said earlier this week that hiring a more diverse faculty is a goal the district is working toward. In addition, Gordon-Ross said he wants to make sure the district is focusing on getting to know students’ goals, whether that’s college or joining the workforce.

“It’s not about getting everybody to college or getting everybody to trade school, it’s (whether) we get everybody where they want to be and can we get them to be successful where they want to be,” he said.

Kay Emerson, who has served as the chair for the school board’s parents of color advisory team, said she wants to work with community partners to find resources to help students succeed, and that she would use her experience with state and federal grant management and business negotiations to help with those efforts.

“No one has that opportunity to equity or equality without being connected to one another,” she said. “Here in Lawrence we have to acknowledge that our district problems are our community problems.”

Andrew Nussbaum, who is a former teacher in the district, said he thought the board needed to redistribute its resources to make sure all students could receive a quality education, but he didn’t provide specifics on what that reallocation might look like. He said that from his experience as a teacher, he knows the school district still has work to do on equity.

“The reality is we have not met our equity goals and we must face that, and I’m ready to face that,” he said.

Nate Morsches, a local business owner, said he is interested in creating new educational programs that let students of color gain experience in fields such as science, technology and engineering. He said it could be a recruitment program early in students’ education to expose them to the skillsets in those fields, which could allow them to develop those skills and enter the workforce after their schooling.

“That’s one example of strategies we can use, but it all boils down to making sure everybody has the same opportunities to succeed,” he said.

Elizabeth Stephens, who is Hispanic, said she believes it is important to diversify the perspectives of decision makers, representing a wide range of races, sexualities, socioeconomic statuses and other categories. She said the board also needed to break down barriers that at-risk students face, including a “pipeline” of at-risk students ending up incarcerated later on in life.

“In order to put policy in place that’s really going to address the issues of those we serve, we need to diversify our governing bodies … (to reflect) the community that it serves,” she said.

Equity has been a major topic for the school board in recent years. Along with the recently adopted equity policy and the creation of Johnson’s new position, the board approved a strategic plan that aims at addressing educational achievement gaps.

Regardless of whom the community elects, Jones said she was confident that each of the six candidates would take equity seriously and work to improve education in Lawrence.

“I know this is central to why we are all running,” Jones said. “It makes me feel hopeful for Lawrence.”

The general election for the three school board seats will be Nov. 2. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 12.