Graduations, boundaries, Black Lives Matter at forefront of Columbia Board of Education meeting – Columbia Daily Tribune

The Columbia Board of Education on Thursday resumed work to adjust elementary school boundaries and took time to reflect on the Black Lives Matter movement.

Another topic of discussion: Battle, Hickman and Rock Bridge high school graduation ceremonies will be held at Mizzou Arena on May 21 and 22, with an agreement in place to pay the University of Missouri $8,000 per day for the arena.

Details are still being worked out, Superintendent Peter Stiepleman said during a break in the work session. Last year, there were dozens of small graduation ceremonies in the school gyms.

Work on redrawing elementary boundaries was halted last Augustbecause of the focus on the pandemic as well as construction being delayed on an addition to Rock Bridge Elementary School until fall 2022.

"I'm ready to pull out the green flag," said chief operating officer Randy Gooch, using a racing analogy. "We've got to get this started again."

Cooperative Strategies, the consulting firm the district hired to work on the school attendance areas, has continued to work on options, Gooch said.

Before other schools are considered, a more immediate adjustment is needed at Parkade Elementary School, which Stiepleman said was at 130% of its desired capacity.

That adjustment, for the 2021-22 school year, would affect 100 students at most, Gooch said. Students moved for the coming school year wouldn't be affected by the next move, he said.

At a school board meeting April 12, the consultant will present options for the Parkade change, labeled phase 1, and the overall elementary adjustments in phase 2. The options will be posted on the district website.

There will be three publictown hall events for people to get information and share opinions on the options, from 5 to 9 p.m. April 13 at Gentry Middle School, April 14 at Jefferson Middle School and April 15 at Lange Middle School. There also will be a public survey.

The consultant will share information on the feedback with the school board April 22. A vote on thephase 1 option for Parkade Elementary is planned for May 10.

"We've got one extremely hot issue right now and that's at Parkade," Gooch said.

The consultant's fine-tuned phase 2 options also are expected at the May 10 school board meeting, with a vote planned June 9. The plan is for phase 2 to be effective with the start of the 2022-23 school year.

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The Black Lives Matter movement was the topic of the school board's equity training session. Board members and top administrators were asked to write their thoughts about what first comes to their mind when they hear or see the phrase Black Lives Matter; their ideas about last summer's Black Lives Matter protests;and their earliest, impactful interaction with police.

"Initially I felt deep sadness over the needless loss of life, and as a mom I think about how I would feel if it were my child," said board President Helen Wade about the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

It's also a big issue to tackle, she said.

"How do you foster healing when there's such a divide?" Wade said.

They next watched a 15-minute video of the history of the movement and were asked to share one word about how it made them feel. Some also later explained why they used the word they did.

The words "hurt,""depressed," "uncomfortable," "angry," "numb" and "outraged" were some mentioned.

Board member David Seamon, who is Black, used the word "depressed."

"I had a really hard time this summer," Seamon said, adding that he sought counseling for it.

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He's a public elected official, but he said when in stores, he doesn't pick up anything small unless he intends to buy it, because he's afraid of being accused of stealing something.

"It's humiliating," Seamon said.

The short video included several instances, one after another, of Black people being killed by white police and others, Wade said.

"There is an urgency to this," she said.

The school board is sending a strong message to the public in hiring a Black superintendent in Brian Yearwood, said board member Della Streaty-Wilhoit, who is Black.Yearwood grew up in Trinidad and Tobago. He will be the district's second Black superintendent when he starts July 1.

"All eyes are on us" because of the choice, she said.

Stiepleman said he hopes the school board continues to work toward equity after he leaves. He's retiring at the end of June.

"The hurt is institutionalized and has existed for hundreds of years," Stiepleman said.

It's the most important work the school board can do, he said.

"This work is so meaningful and I truly hope it continues to be the work of this board," Stiepleman said.

rmckinney@columbiatribune.com

573-815-1719

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Graduations, boundaries, Black Lives Matter at forefront of Columbia Board of Education meeting - Columbia Daily Tribune