By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph School Board member Whitney Lanning has no plans to step down, rejecting calls for her resignation in light of a highly publicized confrontation with fellow school board member Isaura Garcia.
Lanning says she plans to serve the remainder of her term, which expires in April of 2026. Lanning pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree harassment stemming from the February 26th incident with Garcia, but insists she remains an effective member of the St. Joseph Board of Education.
“Yeah, I think I have,” Lanning says in an in-studio interview with KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I guess my issue is, I’ve always been focused on doing good things for this district.”
After the confrontation, state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer of Parkville and Sen. Rusty Black of Chillicothe, both Republicans, called for Lanning, a Democrat, to resign from the school board, Luetkemeyer claiming Lanning displays a lack of professionalism not appropriate for someone in office. Lanning accuses the two senators of attempting to silence her and suggests they should worry more about Republican dysfunction in the Missouri Senate displayed in the past legislative session.
“Our Senate was laughable how much dysfunction they had that they couldn’t get anything done,” Lanning says.
The confrontation between Lanning and Garcia took place after the St. Joseph Board of Education considered and narrowly rejected a proposal to adopt a four-day school week during a tense school board meeting. The proposal was touted as an incentive for teachers. Lanning backed the move. Garcia opposed it.
Though controversy has engulfed Lanning since, she insists she still has a role to play on the St. Joseph School Board and is excited about the future of the district.
“I’m excited about the things that we’re doing,” Lanning says. “I’m excited about the steps we’re taking to provide child care for our staff. I’m excited about the ways that we’re going to right-size the district in a way that promotes and leverages the resources that we do have.”
Lanning declines to address any questions about the confrontation with Garcia, pointing out that though the criminal case has been resolved, a civil lawsuit filed by Garcia against Lanning remains unresolved.
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