Kim Dragoo calls for more transparency, stronger academic focus in district  

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- Kim Dragoo, who is running for a seat on the St. Joseph School District Board of Education, said she’s been paying close attention to board meetings for nearly a decade. 

She first got involved when the district began discussing the possibility of having two high schools.  

“That’s when I started going to meetings. And meetings after meetings, the more I went, the more I thought this community has no clue what goes on because there’s only five to ten meetings in every meeting,” Dragoo said.  

Dragoo said even when meetings are posted online, they don’t get much traction.  

She said the district has done a strong job when it comes to facilities, but hasn’t placed the same focus on academics. 

She also noted that it can be difficult for people to understand the district’s finances, especially if they don’t have much background in how it all works.  

"There’s so many things that are even hard to figure out what it's for. And I don’t think it's itemized like it should be. I think it should be way more itemized, school to school, and what we are spending,” Dragoo said.  

If elected, Dragoo said one of her concerns would be retaining quality staff, given the current conditions in the district. 

She also stressed the importance of supporting students from lower-income backgrounds.  

"You gotta find what children enjoy or what they like, try to brighten their eyes up because sitting in school, going to class all day long is not very easy on them, so once you find out what works for them, you can move in that direction,” Dragoo said.  

Dragoo added how she believes the community would support increased spending on academics, especially if it meant expanding programs. 

If she joins the board, her first priority would be making sure members better understand district policies.  

“Getting on your phone and looking up a policy is really tough because you need to follow state law. So, no wonder the policy is broken all the time. Why have policy if you aren’t going to follow it?” Dragoo said. 

Dragoo also started a Facebook group called “We the People – Three Schools,” which she said has helped bring the community together.  

When she first started the group, hardly anyone was involved, she said. Now, more people in the community are taking it seriously.  

"I am going to be honest. I will be transparent with everything. We vote in board members every year, and they all claim small schools are better, but once they get in, something changes,” Dragoo said.  

She said people should vote for her because she’s done her homework and feels confident she’ll do well in the role, given her knowledge of what’s been happening in the district over the past 10 years. 

Dragoo ended by saying she isn’t against building projects—she just wants to make sure they’re done the right way.

Dragoo also ran for a seat on the School Board in the April 2024 General Municipal Election and received 2,098 total votes, which is 7.19% of the total ballots submitted.