Editor’s note (April 1, 2025): This story has been updated to add responses from Jason Russell, which arrived after the candidate guide was published.
North Kansas City school board candidates who filled out The Beacon’s questionnaire are united in support of the district’s bond issue on the ballot April 8.
This candidate Q&A is part of a series
But they’re divided on whether teachers in the district are making about the right salaries or need a significant pay raise.
Ahead of the April 8 election, six candidates are seeking to persuade voters to select them for two open spots on the board.
Five of them responded to The Beacon’s questionnaire covering topics such as immigration enforcement in schools, cell phones and transgender students.
Carolyn Mason declined to respond.
The North Kansas City Missouri National Education Association, the union that represents the district’s teachers, has endorsed Daniel Wartick and Roy Copeland III.
The North Kansas City school district is among the largest in Missouri, and covers part of the Northland, mostly in Clay County. If you’re not sure what district you live in, check your sample ballot.
Responses have been edited for grammar, clarity and Associated Press style.
Meet the North Kansas City school board candidates
Daniel Wartick
Occupation: Retired public school administrator
Background and qualifications: Professional background as a public school educator on the secondary level. Board experience: North Kansas City school board and North Kansas City School District Foundation board.
Education:
- BBS management
- MBA finance
- Ph.D. urban leadership and education
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanWartickNKC
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Daniel_Wartick_4_NKC_Schools
Roy Copeland III
Occupation: Roy Copeland III State Farm owner
Background and qualifications: I have a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in sociology.
Website: https://roy4nkcs.com/
Aryn Peters
Occupation: Client engagement manager for TruHome Solutions
Background and qualifications: North Kansas City graduate with three students in NKC schools. Taught 11 years, at university for two years. Education specialist leadership and administration. Served as instructional leader, professional development coordinator, AP/dual credit coordinator, advisory lead and RTI committee chair.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554758154700
Jessica Rezac
Occupation: Software engineer at MBB agency
Website: https://rezacfornkcschools.com/
Carolyn Mason
Mason declined to respond to the questionnaire and instead provided a link to some information about her candidacy on the district website.
On that web page, Mason said she has been connected to public education as a parent, teacher, grandparent, taxpayer and current substitute teacher.
She said she wants to promote student success, strengthen connections between the district and the community, listen to teachers and build on existing progress. She’s running for school board “to ensure that all students, teachers, and families have the resources they need to thrive.”
Contact: masonnkc@gmail.com
Jason Russell
Occupation: Retired
According to information he provided to the district, Russell has served as the Parent Teacher Association vice president for New Mark Middle School and is currently the Staley PTA vice president. He has coached more than half a dozen sports in the Kansas City area over the last 20 years.
Russell said he believes the district is the best in the state. He is dedicated to improving education for all students, including those like his daughter who have special needs. He wants to make sure the voices of students, parents and teachers are heard.
Contact: MarketingPro@gmail.com
Multiple-choice questions
Immigration enforcement in schools
Wartick: School boards must remain apolitical, focused on ethics and good governance and committed to public education. Policies and procedures in place at each school should be followed and supported by board members.
Copeland: Per North Kansas City Schools policy, law enforcement is not permitted to interact with students without a valid subpoena, court order or parental permission. As a board member it would be my responsibility to ensure that this policy is followed.
Peters: Safety of the students and staff is the primary focus. District policies are in place that guide how and when law enforcement can access students and information all while minimizing disruption to the education environment as much as possible.
Teacher compensation
Wartick: Attracting and retaining top-tier educators requires more than just maintaining competitive salaries — it demands a comprehensive, forward-thinking approach to compensation and workplace support.
Copeland: We must continue to seek opportunities to provide teachers with increased compensation and to ensure our teacher salaries are equal to or better than similarly situated districts.
Peters: The district recently negotiated a teacher raise to ensure that NKC Schools is in the top pay for similar districts. This must continually be reviewed for ways to create an overall compensation package that benefits our teachers.
Rezac: North Kansas City Schools should prioritize being among the best districts to work for in our area and teacher pay is going to be a large part of that competitiveness.
Transgender students
Wartick: School boards must remain apolitical, focused on ethics and good governance, and committed to public education. Policies and procedures in place at each school should be followed and supported by board members.
Copeland: As a board member it is my responsibility to uphold the district policies currently in place.
Peters: Schools should be a welcoming, inclusive environment, where all students feel like they belong. I’m proud of the district for establishing facilities that support all students. I believe names and pronouns are a personal choice, up to the individual.
State government advocacy
Wartick: The North Kansas City School District has a government relations executive director that provides the status to board members of House and Senate proposed bills. I would work in a collaborative model for advocacy framed by what is best for the district and public education.
Copeland: As a public school district board member it is my responsibility to advocate for public schools and to ensure public school success through proper funding and laws that support public schools.
Peters: These do nothing but hurt public education by taking funding away from the public schools. We should be investing in our schools and our communities to ensure our students are getting the best education where they live.
Rezac: Government support to attend private schools undermines public education, and I am generally opposed to public dollars going to private interests. I am less axiomatically opposed to public school open enrollment without seeing specific legislation.
Sensitive topics
Wartick: School boards must remain apolitical, focused on ethics and good governance and committed to public education. Policies and procedures in place at each school should be followed and supported by board members.
Copeland: NKCS district has policies in place to make sure the curriculum being taught in our classrooms and responses to sensitive topics follow district curriculum guidelines.
Peters: Our district is doing a fantastic job being as diverse as we are and the growth we see in the community right now. There is always room for improvement. We should never stop reviewing, updating and upgrading the opportunities for our students.
Rezac: All students and families in North Kansas City Schools should feel welcomed and celebrated. The school district says it shares that value, but achieving cultural competency takes effort and strong leadership beginning with the school board.
Technology in schools
Wartick: The North Kansas City School District is working toward a policy that will address cellphone usage. The school board has heard voices of many stakeholders with a specific focus on the impact on classroom instruction. This is a challenge facing many public schools.
Copeland: We must embrace evolving technology and prepare our students for the future. We must listen to the experts and learn more effective ways to safely integrate the use of these technologies to give our students the best chances to succeed.
Peters: It’s important to educate students on using tech in a productive, responsible, respectable way. We must have systems and policies in place for when is the appropriate time and place for tech and procedures in place for when it is not used properly.
Rezac: As the sole candidate who has written large language model-powered applications, I bring a deep level of understanding to the discussion of how schools should educate students about AI. A districtwide restriction on AI will not serve students well.
School bonds
Wartick: The current bond issue is centered on reinvestment in facilities in neighborhoods that have a history of supporting the North Kansas City School District. Reinvestment and regreening of neighborhoods start with a strong public school presence — both facilities and committed staff.
Copeland: Bond funding provides the district with the resources to continue to upgrade and expand district facilities and academic experiences.
Peters: I support the bond issue. The district has been open and responsible with the planning and implementation of facilities plans. This bond issue will support all four feeder patterns in the district and details can be found on the district website.
Russell: I support the bond 100%.
If elected to the school board, what would you do to improve outcomes for students in your district?
Wartick: My focus will be:
- Teacher recruitment and retention.
- Strong fiscal management and sourcing.
- Continued emphasis on having safe schools.
- Making NKCSD the district of choice.
Copeland: I would listen and engage by asking questions and partnering with staff to make the best decisions for students. I would be visible and present in the schools to see the successes occurring in our schools. I would stay engaged with the needs of the district to appropriately advocate.
Peters: We must always keep in mind that education is not stagnant and always be looking at continuous improvement models. We also must consider students’ educational and cultural differences and ensure we have created a place for all students to thrive.
Rezac: I believe the members of the current school board lack a sense of curiosity when hearing from district leadership. Without curiosity, it’s not possible to hold leadership accountable to their goals.
Russell: I would continue working with the current board members on the current plan as it is working out very well already. If it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it.
What is your biggest concern about the school board’s recent decisions or actions? Or where do you see room for improvement?
Wartick: As with any decision-making body, there is always room for continuous improvement and I have confidence that I can add to the composition of the board to work toward making North Kansas City Schools the district of choice.
Copeland: The board must monitor practices to ensure we meet the needs of the students, teachers and staff and provide the support our students need. We also must continue to monitor and adjust our policies to meet the mental health needs of our students as well.
Peters: I believe the NKC School board continues to have a clear focus on the student experience and achievement, and a collaborative model that supports capacity of all the board members and sustainability of the district and work for students.
Rezac: The end of the extended calendar at Crestview and Winnwood Elementaries was poorly executed and communicated. Through my experience with district leadership and the school board on this issue, I have seen them fail to listen to teachers and families to meaningfully work toward academic achievement.
Russell: I answered this in the last question but feel free to contact me with additional questions as I am happy to answer them.
