Author: IP3 HUB
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Lee’s Summit STEM supports Warton, Garrett and Martin for LSR7 School Board!
STEM / Vocational education is critical to the success of Missouri. Matt Warton, Kirsti Martin and Regina Garrett are laser focused on building on the great strides made in VoTech / STEM in Lee’s Summit and their passion for STEM, is why they have my support for Lee’s Summit School Board.
Matt Warton brings two decades of experience in sales, leadership, and building technology systems, including work with K-12 schools on procurement, budgeting, and implementation of tech solutions. As a father of four, he highlights the value of STEM education and vocational pathways, pointing to his son’s involvement in middle-school robotics competitions as an example of engaging, hands-on learning that prepares students for real-world opportunities. Warton emphasizes putting students and teachers first, empowering parents, and ensuring responsible use of district resources.
Regina Garrett, an incumbent board member first elected in 2023, serves as a full-time mom with a background in sales and science. She has been active in community efforts including the Workforce Alliance, Parents as Teachers, and fundraising for the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation. Garrett has supported practical skill-building activities, such as helping fifth-graders construct birdhouses to build confidence and hands-on abilities, and she advocates for strong fiscal stewardship alongside competitive teacher pay and addressing achievement gaps.
Kirsti Martin works as a mental health case manager and licensed private investigator, with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. As a mother of a child in the district who has an individualized education program (IEP), she brings personal insight into supporting students with diverse needs. Martin focuses on strong schools, transparent leadership, and community-building traditions like homecoming that foster pride and connection across families, educators, and the broader Lee’s Summit area.
Joshua Hill
Joshua serves on the Grandview C4 School Board. He was first elected in 2022 and is supportive of STEM education / VoTech in the Martin City / Grandview schools. He’s lived in Missouri most of his life and is the Managing Partner of a recruiting firm that places STEM professionals. His passion for STEM led him to seek out other like minded STEM advocates because he wants to see Missouri grow and help our students become world class scientists, and engineers.
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STEM Forward in Missouri: 7 Practical Ways Districts and Municipalities Can Build Stronger K–12 Pathways
What “STEM Forward” Means for Jackson County—and Missouri STEM Forward is about moving from isolated programs to connected pathways—where classroom learning, community partners, and local workforce needs reinforce one another. Jackson County STEM Forward exists to help school districts and municipalities across Missouri turn good intentions into durable, measurable STEM opportunities for students. A Simple Framework: Pathways, Partnerships, and Practical Support Whether you’re leading a district, a city department, or a community organization, the most effective STEM initiatives share three traits: clear pathways for students, partnerships that add capacity, and practical supports that make implementation easier. 7 Actions You Can Take This Semester- Map your current STEM assets. List programs, labs, clubs, and partners already in place—then identify gaps by grade band and school site.
- Choose one priority pathway. Start with a focused theme (e.g., robotics, health sciences, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing) and build coherence across grades.
- Align learning to local needs. Use regional workforce signals and municipal priorities to shape project themes and career exposure.
- Build a partner bench. Recruit a small set of repeatable partners—industry, higher ed, libraries, nonprofits—who can support multiple schools, not just one event.
- Make “real problems” the curriculum hook. Invite city departments and community organizations to propose challenges students can tackle with data, design, and prototyping.
- Support educators with ready-to-use resources. Provide lesson starters, rubrics, equipment checklists, and implementation guides that reduce planning time.
- Measure what matters. Track participation, persistence, and student work products—not just attendance—so you can improve and tell a stronger story to funders.
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