These days, it seems nearly everyone wants to run the Kansas City school district. These days, it seems nearly everyone wants to run the Kansas City school district. The superintendent says he'd be glad to run it, but the school board tried to fire him. A federal judge overruled the board, leaving observers to wonder if he's the one in charge.
Some lawmakers say things have gotten so bad, only the state can run the district.
The only official showing no interest in running the school district is Mayor Kay Barnes, who says only the state can perform a takeover. The relationship between the school board and superintendent Benjamin Demps, Jr. reached a meltdown this week when five board members voted in an emergency meeting to fire Demps. Four other board members walked out of the meeting. One of those four, Patricia Kurtz, filed a lawsuit Thursday in Jackson County Circuit Court, claiming that the five who voted to fire Demps violated the Missouri Sunshine Law and acted illegally in removing the superintendent. Then, Demps' firing was overturned Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Dean Whipple.