Mariah Roady
Center School District Board of Education
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Mariah Roady is an at-large member of the Center School District Board of Education in Missouri. She assumed office on April 8, 2024. Her current term ends in 2027.
Roady ran for election for an at-large seat of the Center School District Board of Education in Missouri. She won in the general election on April 2, 2024.
Roady completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Mariah Roady was born in Missouri. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit executive.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Center School District, Missouri, elections (2024)
General election
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Roady in this election.
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mariah Roady completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Roady's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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My name is Mariah Roady, and I am thrilled to run for a seat on Center School District’s Board of Education. In addition to being a candidate for the Center school board, I am also a current parent. With a kindergartener and nine month old baby, our family is at the very beginning of its long relationship with the Center School District.
My work, personally and professionally, is motivated by the belief a brighter and more equitable future is within reach. As a nonprofit leader at EarlystART focusing on access to high-quality early education and family resources in Kansas City’s urban core, I know that when we pour into our city’s young people and their families, everyone benefits. Education is the greatest equalizer of opportunity. Every child deserves this - no matter their zip code or circumstances in life.
Furthermore, my civic involvement as a parent leader with Parent Leadership Training Institute of Kansas City (PLTI-KC) and Kids Win Missouri bring a wealth of experience championing families and community building along lines of difference, particularly as it relates to equitable education. If elected, I will work tirelessly to promote student and family focused solutions to ensure children receive the support they need to not only survive but thrive. - I’m a Parent: Through personal connections as a Center School District parent and leading a community-based nonprofit, I plan on seeking out/facilitating intentional opportunities to allow our community experts, particularly our students and families, to share input. If elected, I will work tirelessly to promote student and family focused solutions to ensure children receive the support they need to not only survive but thrive.
- I’m an Advocate: We must promote a broader culture and celebration of equity by addressing key equity challenges in schools, including teachers matching their racial and other identities, culturally relevant assignments, and research-based, non-discriminatory disciplinary policies.
- I’m an Education Champion: We must do a better job for our students and families by investing in our community leaders: educators. I’d love to see administrators and the Board of Education work diligently to ensure our direct service providers have ample opportunities to learn, grow, and fortify their skills. After all, that's the kind of example we want to set for our students; it only makes sense for leadership to embody that same kind of spirit.
Public policy around accessible early childhood education (ECE) is critical as the earliest years are also the most formative years, with 90% of the brain forming before the age of five. Consequently, high-quality ECE programs are essential. They help children gain the necessary academic, emotional, and social skills and confidence to flourish in school and in life. Our state and federally funded program that supports ECE, Head Start, could benefit from a deeper look at its infrastructure and sustainability.
Fred Rogers is one of my greatest role models. He revolutionized early childhood education and uplifted the indelible power children have if we believe in them and encourage their innate curiosity and exploration about the world. Not only was he brave enough to tackle controversial issues during great periods of unrest and tragedy in America, he did so by reaching through the TV and making his audience - children and adults alike - feel seen, heard, and valued. This is how I want to show up.
One of my favorite songs is Alicia Key’s “Underdog”. I know you might be thinking that’s a strange choice, but I love how the song explores the human condition and diverse lived experiences. To me, this is critical to my political philosophy. I don’t know how you begin to create policy or make decisions without enlisting the perspectives of people across lines of difference. While I recognize the privilege I have, I am deeply committed to ensuring ALL people have equitable access and opportunities regardless of race, physical ability, gender, socio-economic status, zip code, etc. I fully embrace crucial conversations and will critically consider how I can stand in support of marginalized voices.
To me, they really come down to integrity and perseverance. I do not know how to lead without integrity. I believe this is the crux of all honest relationships. Those that demonstrate integrity are honest; they do what they say they will do. They hold themselves and others accountable. This goes hand in hand with perseverance. Perseverance is that innate tenacity and drive to keep going when you’ve been pushed down and it’s hard. It’s standing up against popular opinion for what you know is right.
I believe a school board member's core responsibility is to work with the community to allocate resources so that every student is able to activate their full potential. Through governance and addressing policy, a board member’s focus should include championing families and community building along lines of difference.
Leslie Knope, champion of Pawnee and friendship!
I believe a school board member's core responsibility is to work with the community to allocate resources so that every student is able to activate their full potential.
Through personal connections as a Center School District parent and leading a community-based nonprofit, I plan on seeking out/facilitating intentional opportunities to allow our community experts to share input. Naturally a collaborator, I want to partner with the community, not prescribe to it.
One reason school districts may face budget cuts and reduce programs include declining enrollment. When the number of students in a school district decreases, it can lead to a reduction in state and local funding, as funding is often allocated on a per-student basis. This can strain the district's budget. I think it is important for schools to have autonomy and creativity within their buildings to incentivize and reward attendance that is meaningful to that particular student body.
Prevention. Prevention. Prevention! So often when faced with crisis, we are reactive. I want schools to focus on prevention vs. reaction. With the continued rate of violent crime in our city increasing, I’d like to promote more violence prevention and anti-bullying initiatives for the whole district - pre-K through 12th grade.
We are in a pediatric behavioral health crisis. The rate of anxiety, depression, and even suicide among kids in our state as skyrocketed. Missouri ranks in the bottom third of all states for children's health, including mental health. To address this epidemic, I would advocate for funding and resources that promote TraumaSmart practices and social emotional learning (SEL)
SEL is beneficial to both children and adults, increasing self-awareness, academic achievement, and positive behaviors both in and out of the classroom.
SEL helps improve kids’ academic performance, curtail bullying, reduce dropout rates, and build character. Well-implemented SEL programs improve academics, reduce negative social behaviors like bullying, and create positive classroom clim Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus, Missouri Equity Education Partnership-Action, Southland Progress
I will show up. I intend on further engaging our community by supporting Center school and community events. With a student in the district, my whole family is invested in the opportunities the district offers families.
We must ensure our educator and staff recruitment strategies are culturally representative of the student body. I’d love to see how we can intentionally recruit teachers of color. There are several organizations in Kansas City like Teachers Like Me or Latinx Education Collaborative who are doing excellent work to ensure equitable recruitment practices. They could be great partners with the Center School District.
Financial transparency and governmental accountability are critical to the democratic process. Not only do they ensure public trust, they provide comprehensive overviews that enable thoughtful decisions and mitigate risk.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 14, 2024
