With nasty SPS board race over, Brunner and Thomas-Tate ready to work

As the top vote-getters, Judy Brunner and Shurita Thomas-Tate said they're eager to be sworn in April 11 and to get to work serving children and moving the district forward.

They came out on top of a long and trying campaign which saw four candidates vying for two open positions on the Springfield school board.

Brunner and Thomas-Tate were subjected to negative TV ads, flyers and videos — paid for by explicitly conservative outside spending groups — which alleged they hated American values, painted them as part of the status quo and derided their experience and work as educators.

The groups that supported candidates Landon McCarter and Chad Rollins said the two men would bring fresh ideas, fight against "woke ideology" in the district and work closely with three conservative board members — Maryam Mohammadkhani, Kelly Byrne and Steve Makoski — to continue "positive change."

Brunner, a retired Springfield teacher and principal, won the most votes with 28% and will serve her first three-year term on the board.

"I'm overwhelmed with the show of support from the Springfield community," said Brunner, who watched results at the home of a family member.

"This is truly a statement that our community supports public schools. I believe my message of safe schools, engaging families and supporting educators has resonated with voters."

She added: "I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work from day No. 1. I love this school district. I love the Springfield community and I am ready to serve in a different capacity. I really thank the voters for giving me this opportunity."

For Thomas-Tate, the sole incumbent on the ballot, the race was much tighter and the attacks were more personal. The associate professor at Missouri State University squeaked by business owner McCarter, who was ranked third in the number of votes.

They both earned 24% of the votes, with Thomas-Tate ahead by a fraction of a percentage point — just 274 votes.

Chad Rollins, a pharmacist, garnered the fewest votes with 22%.

From a watch party Tuesday, Thomas-Tate said the community "voted for the children, voted for the students."

"They understand that I care about the kids. I care about the kids. It's not about politics. It is not about ideology," she said. "I think Springfield voters saw through all of the shenanigans and they are standing by an educator who cares about kids."

Brunner and Thomas-Tate said they do not want the divisiveness of the campaign to bleed into their work on the board, which has been highly fractured of late.

"My supporters, one of things they will expect — and they know this about me — I can work with all kinds of people, with all kinds of beliefs," Brunner said. "I have made a career in public education doing that. You can't be successful in public ed if you don't have a good skill set to work with others."

The negative and personal attacks took a toll, Thomas-Tate said. But she said it strengthened her resolve and her support system.

Moving forward, Thomas-Tate said will work to improve the district and public education.

"If we have a board who supports our administration, we can do great things in our district and make it better," she said.

"I will be very visible in the community with the jobs I've had working in schools," said Brunner. "You're going to see me out in the community. I'm going to be listening. I don't intend to live in my own echo chamber. I want to hear from people. As a public servant, that is what you have to do and I am ready to get started."

McCarter and Rollins did not respond to calls for comment Tuesday evening or Wednesday. In a Facebook post after the results were in, McCarter wrote: "Lost by 274 votes. I will have more to say at a later time. I’m exhausted. Going to bed. Thank you for all the support. I’m really sad for our schools."

Board member Kelly Byrne, who supported McCarter and Rollins in the race, posted a message on Facebook. He and McCarter were friends growing up and won a state basketball championship together as students at Kickapoo High School.

"Congratulations to Judy Brunner and Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate and your well-run campaigns. I look forward to finding the ways we can work together to improve academic opportunities for SPS students. There will be times we disagree I am sure, and that is healthy, but I know there will be many opportunities for us to agree and create a positive impact for the students, parents, and employees of our district," Byrne wrote. "I look forward to honing in on those areas."

He also thanked McCarter and Rollins for the time and effort they spent to "make SPS better."

"Please take some much needed time to enjoy with your families then consider what the next steps may be for you to positively impact SPS and our community," Byrne wrote. "You’re good men and your leadership is needed in Springfield."

Voter 'offended by the negative ads'

Brunner and Thomas-Tate raised more money to campaign for the two seats with support from former school board members, educators and others. They used those funds to share their message.

They were also the target of attack ads from a slew of explicitly conservative groups — the SWMO Forward PAC, the Back on Track America PAC, and Christians Uniting for Political Change, among others.

Among other things, Thomas-Tate was called "anti-American" and accused of hating American values.

"Who likes to be attacked? Who likes to have your name dragged and your values dragged and have your identity dragged? No one wants that," Thomas-Tate said Tuesday. "But I continued to stand because I truly believe in the power of public education and I wanted to support us maintaining positive public schools."

Brunner and Thomas-Tate received support from the Springfield National Education Association, the district's largest teachers union.

Roy Duncan, a retired educator, said the campaign and attack ads gave him pause.

"I had questions about what they said about (Thomas-)Tate and Brunner and that weighed on me but I made a decision," he said.

James A. Smith, who voted at Parkview High School, declined to say who he picked for school board only that they "were not interested in destroying the system and were interested in furthering the education for the kids and they supported their teachers."

Smith said he worried about the motives of those behind the attack ads.

"I was offended by the negative ads and the attempts to destroy the reputation of really good quality people," he said. "That is always a detriment to any community if you start with (negative) ads. It will tell on us if we continue to let it happen."

Delana Gilliam, who knew Thomas-Tate through her volunteer work, said she has been impressed the candidate's stance against discrimination.

She shrugged off the negative ads. "I just ignored them because I knew what she stood for. I think negative ads make me want to vote for someone more. It's kind of like people, when somebody talks about somebody else, it is usually them that have problems."

In the 2021 and 2022 elections, incumbents opted not to run again or were defeated. If Thomas-Tate is sworn in, it will mark an end to that streak.

With only three years of service, Thomas-Tate will be the most experienced member on the board. The rest will still be in their initial three-year terms.

Board vice president Scott Crise and members Danielle Kincaid and Mohammadkhani are completing their second year. Members Makosksi and Byrne are finishing their first year.

Brunner, Thomas-Tate have education experience

Brunner spent decades inside Springfield schools as a teacher, principal and administrator. She co-owns a business centered on school safety.

She retired from the district in 2006 but agreed to serve, part-time, in numerous roles including as the co-interim principal of Central High School for two years during the pandemic.

Brunner, a graduate of Glendale High School, started her career as a special education teacher at Parkview High School before serving as assistant principal at Pershing, a K-8 building. She was principal at Wilder Elementary, Reed Middle School and then Parkview High School.

In 2000, Brunner co-founded Edu-Safe, a school safety training company, with the former director of the SPS police force. Training ranges from crisis planning to the best ways to prevent or stop bullying.

In forums and interviews, Brunner has touted a three-pillar plan that she wants to see implemented, if elected. The first is safe schools.

The second is getting families more engaged in the educational process. The third is support for teachers and the support staff.

A speech language pathologist, Thomas-Tate teaches college students about language development and disorders. Her nonprofit focuses on childhood literacy.

The Oregon native lived in Louisiana, Ohio, Michigan and Florida before moving to Springfield in 2011. She is an associate professor at Missouri State University.

Thomas-Tate has worked with children as a foster parent and as a volunteer with her church and the Springfield NAACP. She founded the nonprofit Ujima Language and Literacy — in partnership with MSU, SPS, the library district, and a neighborhood center — to empower families and help children improve reading and writing skills.

Candidates raised $201K to campaign for seats

Collectively, the four candidates raised more than $201,000 to run for the unpaid school board spots. All used flyers, social media and door-to-door campaigning to reach voters.

The March 27 campaign finance reports showed Brunner raised the most with $85,000 and was the first to air TV ads advocating her experience and plan.

Thomas-Tate raised $55,630, just slightly more than McCarter's $47,104. In recent days, McCarter started airing TV ads as well.

Rollins raised significantly less than the others with $13,917.

A year ago, board members Byrne and Makoski raised more than the other candidates.

In 2021, the candidates who raised the most to campaign for school board — Mohammadkhani, Kincaid and Crise — were also elected.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: With nasty SPS board race over, Brunner and Thomas-Tate ready to work