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COTTLEVILLE Amid our remarkably divided times, four school board candidates in the Francis Howell School District found a bit of common ground during a debate on Tuesday.

This election is going to be about teachers, said Steven Blair, a Methodist pastor and father of two.

He and Carolie Owens, a retired music teacher, are endorsed by the local affiliate of the National Education Association.

Blair and Owens didnt agree much with their two opponents during the debate, led by student journalists in the districts high schools. Adriana Kuhn, who owns a marketing company, and Sam Young, a retired U.S. Navy officer, are endorsed by the Francis Howell Families activist group, which has helped push culture wars in the district. Kuhn has brought partisan politics to the race, touting her support by the Republican Central Committee.

But all four candidates endorsed the idea that the election is about teachers increasing teacher pay and keeping them in the district, long one of the highest-ranked districts in Missouri.

How to get there? Thats another matter.

The debate, with pointed questions from the students, was a microcosm of the divisive battles that have embroiled school boards across the nation. In the past few months, the Francis Howell district has been divided by race, as the board rescinded an anti-racism resolution and then tried to cancel Black literature classes and Black history classes. The classes were reinstated, but not until a student-led walkout helped bring attention to the issue. Still, the board voted to erase the part of the curriculum dealing with social justice and political activism in Black history.

That action was a reminder that political activism and history cannot be divided.

Every single one of us is connected to political activism, Blair reminded his fellow candidates during the debate.

Young and Kuhn supported the gutting of Black history and Black literature classes. They talked about how bad masks were in the COVID-19 pandemic, and how its important for school boards to delve into the sorts of debates that decide who uses which bathrooms.

Some people thought it was a good thing that students walked out of school, Young said. I disagree with that.

The four candidates are battling for two seats on the school board. The election is unlikely to end the culture wars, as the winners will replace two board members who were dissenting votes in the curriculum discussions. One way or another, there will still be a culture war majority on the Francis Howell School Board after the April 2 election. Thats a bad thing if the goal is to stop teachers from fleeing, Owens and Blair said.

There are teachers who are leaving Francis Howell for other school districts, Blair said. Ive talked to the teachers. What they want more than anything else is to stop being attacked by the school board.

Nationally, there are signs that voters are tiring of attempts to turn school board votes into partisan elections. After a few prominent post-pandemic victories, including in St. Charles County and the Rockwood School District in St. Louis County, voters have generally moved away from more divisive candidates. In November, for instance, voters in several states Pennsylvania, Kansas, Virginia and Iowa rejected candidates who wanted to focus on buzz phrases like CRT and DEI.

In Francis Howell, theres at least agreement that the school board should be focused on retaining teachers. But ideas on how to do so give voters a clear choice between the two slates of candidates.

Were running against the NEA, Kuhn said of herself and Young.

Owens offered a retort: If youre running against the NEA, youre running against teachers.

Francis Howell North High School senior Lauren Chance talks with the media, along with her schoolmates, after the group led a walkout of students on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024. The walkout was done to protest the Francis Howell School Board's changes to the district's classes on Black History and Black Literature and the board's earlier action to remove a previously passed resolution against racism and discrimination.

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Messenger: Is Francis Howell school board election about teachers or culture wars? - St. Louis Post-Dispatch