KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Families and faculty met Dr. Dennis Carpenter with a standing ovation at the Hickman Mills School District Superintendent meet and greet event on Wednesday night.
"Hickman Mills is home. I'm just super excited to be back," Carpenter told KSHB 41.
A familiar face is back as the leader of the Hickman Mills School District in an interim position.
Carpenter served in the superintendent position beginning in 2013.
"When I got to Hickman Mills back in 2013, I saw potential," he said. "When I left in 2017, I saw progress, and having been gone now for a period of about eight years, I see a lot of momentum."
During a brief speech to over a hundred listeners in the Hickman Mills Middle School gym, Carpenter outlined a few priorities, including balancing the district's budget and earning accreditation.
"I want to be able to be a part of that momentum and hopefully take them across those finish lines that the community expects," said Carpenter.
Carpenter told KSHB 41 he plans to build on initiatives that began during his first stint, including facility enhancements and early childhood learning.
Tammie Willis, a longtime district parent, hopes academics will continue to improve, including prioritizing the arts in the classroom.
"Math and reading skills are the most important," said Willis. I know Hickman Mills is one of the less fortunate districts when it comes to that, but I truly believe that we have excellent teachers. They foster independence and growth in our students."
Willis's son, Yair, is a sixth-grade student in the district and told KSHB 41 he enjoyed the message his new superintendent shared on Wednesday night.
Yair participates in athletics and a variety of art classes.
He hopes there will be greater prioritization of those programs.
"The arts are super important," he explained. "I've grown up watching people create art, and getting the opportunity to do that is amazing."
Entering a new school year, Carpenter told KSHB 41 he will be transparent with the faculty and the student body about what he intends to introduce.
KSHB 41 has long covered issues within the school district.
Carpenter's latest stint follows the departure of former Superintendent Yaw Obeng, who had a five-year run as the leader of the district. During Obeng's tenure, the district had increased student enrollment, significant academic improvement, and higher teacher salaries.
That success, Carpenter says, began during his tenure with the district over a decade ago.
During that time, he faced discrimination lawsuits that were eventually dismissed.
He became Superintendent of the Lee's Summit School District before he resigned following disagreements with the school board and more lawsuits.
"When I left Hickman Mills, we were in great shape," he explained. "We've done some phenomenal work, went over and took another gig, but in hindsight, this one feels so much like home."
During about an eight-year hiatus from traditional education, Carpenter told KSHB 41 he was educating folks in the business sector with a consulting company he started.
Carpenter also said he became a property investor in Georgia.
A Georgia radio station posted a video of Carpenter explaining his new venture as the owner of Exotic Smoker Vape and Smoke Shop in the area.
In the video, he expressed the business opportunity within the cannabis sector and was excited to grow the market in the South.
"I became a property investor around residential and commercial," he said. "Within some of that, we have shops. I mean, it's capitalism, right? That’s where America is founded on. That work and all of those experiences is tied with those educational experiences, are super phenomenal when right now in a time where budget is such a priority. And all the ventures I’ve ever been on had great budgets."
Taking the lessons learned in his time away from traditional education is what Carpenter believes will help him lead the district to success.
As for Willis, she believes the new superintendent will need parent and community support to achieve success.
"I think community is even more important," Willis said. "I think in order for him to be an effective leader, he has to have the community to stand behind him. He has to have parental support. I’m sure he has the support of the board, but I think the parents are who make the superintendent."
Dr. Carpenter did not specify if he would apply for the full-time Superintendent position, telling KSHB 41 that this school year is his main focus.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
