Brian Yearwood reflects on his first year as Columbia superintendent as school year ends

The multipurpose room at Gentry Middle School buzzed with activity on Wednesday,  the last full day of school in Columbia Public Schools.

Gentry students competed in a trivia contest, with teacher Michelle Haas reading off questions.

"What is the name of the Mizzou mascot?"

"Which U.S. president is from Missouri?"

"Name two of the three secretaries. Extra points for all three."

"What is Missouri's nickname?"

For a while, Principal Josh Johnson made his way around to tables offering a little help.

Students will be released early from school on Thursday.

It has been a weird, sometimes difficult, school year, and it was Brian Yearwood's first school year as superintendent.

More: Columbia Public Schools superintendent Brian Yearwood on school safety and the Texas shooting

The school year began with students in-seat, but required to wear masks. Masks remained an issue for the majority of the school year, with opponents and proponents speaking at school board meetings, student walkouts protesting the school board dropping the mask mandate and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt suing the district over its mask requirement.

"The mask issue has not been resolved yet," Yearwood said. "We are in the middle of litigation."

His wife was still unpacking from their move when news of Schmitt's first lawsuit arrived, Yearwood said. She asked him if she should begin repacking.

"I told her 'No, we are staying the course because we believe in the great work we're doing in Columbia Public Schools,'" Yearwood said.

More: Superintendent Brian Yearwood gets raise, contract extension from Columbia Public Schools

While there have been what Yearwood called "trials and tribulations," he reeled off several high points.

They included last week's graduation of more than 1,200 scholars, including 36 who graduated with associate degrees from Moberly Area Community College.

Yearwood also mentioned Presidential Scholar Kyle Chen and Jefferson Middle School teacher Cassidy Urie, who won a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The school year also included criticism from State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, who alleged the school district was teaching Critical Race Theory and called for Yearwood's resignation.

"The support from the Columbia community reassured me," Yearwood said.

The local NAACP chapter held an event after Basye's comments, with speakers voicing support for Yearwood and condemning Basye's remarks.

"CRT has a place at the collegiate level," Yearwood said. "I don't see a place for it in our schools."

State Rep. Cheri Reisch, R-Hallsville, also has criticized the district over masks and during a legislative hearing, referring to the school district, said "Columbia sucks."

Yearwood and Reisch hugged during an event at Battle High School.

"We're working together now and we've had several meetings," Yearwood said of Reisch.

"At the end of the day, we all want what's best for our scholars," he said of himself, Basye and Reisch.

There was a huge shortage of substitute teachers in late January brought on by a spike in COVID cases. The mask requirement, which had been relaxed, was brought back. The school board approved teacher workdays without students as a relief valve.  Additional pay for CPS teachers filling in for absent CPS teachers was approved and now is part of teacher contracts.

It worked, Yearwood said.

"We had to mitigate that situation in an unprecedented time," Yearwood said.

Everyone worked together to come up with solutions, he said.

"It was a plan that was effective in allowing our teachers time to regroup and re-energize," Yearwood said.

The teaching staff and administrative staff are very dedicated, he said.

Voters in April overwhelmingly approved an $80 million bond issue. The victory ratio was 76% to 24%. It will finance two elementary schools, an addition at Battle Elementary School and an addition and renovation at the Columbia Area Career Center.

Money for other projects, including safety and security, is in the plan.

"The Columbia community has always supported our schools," Yearwood said. "That was a huge defining moment for me, personally, to experience the continued commitment to our schools."

And the school board extended his contract and gave him a raise.

"I'm very humbled by the support of the school board," Yearwood said. "My success would not be possible without the school board."

Looking ahead, Yearwood said he wants the start of the 2022-23 school year on Aug. 23 to be a big celebration.

"We want our scholars to feel like rock stars," Yearwood said. "It will be a day of celebration for our scholars returning."

And the rest of the school year?

"We will continue to put scholars first and focus on academic growth," Yearwood said. "We will continue to build innovation in our schools to meet the needs of our scholars. "We will strive to be the best school district in the state of Missouri."

Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia superintendent Brian Yearwood reflects on first year