Dr. Amanda Coleman will be the new Director of Special Education for the District, effective in July.
She comes to the district from the Raytown School District, where she has been principal at Eastwood Hills Elementary School since 2015. She was assistant principal at that school from 2011 to 2015. From 2009 to 2011, she was the special education process coordinator for three elementary schools in the Raytown School District.
Before that, Coleman was Director of Special Programs for eight years at Allen Village Charter School in Kansas City, and was a special education teacher for one year in the Center School District.
The School Board approved the hiring of Coleman at the March 21 meeting.
Coleman said she is excited about her new position at Ray-Pec.
“I am looking forward to prioritizing my heart and mind into special education,” she said. “The first half of my career I served in roles as a Speech-Pathologist, Special Education Teacher, and Special Education Process Coordinator, and the last half of my career has been in building leadership. I am so excited to collaborate with the exceptional leaders, teachers and families of the Ray-Pec community and hope to contribute as much as I know I will gain.”
Dr. Kristel Barr, Ray-Pec Chief Academic Officer, said, “We are so excited to have Amanda Coleman on the Academic Services team. She has a true heart for special education students, staff and parents and will be a true support to them. Her energy is contagious and we can’t wait to have her in the district.”
Coleman received her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Missouri State University. She earned her education specialist degree in educational administration from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. In 2022, she received her doctorate in education administration from William Woods University.
Coleman lives in Lee’s Summit with her husband and three girls, two dogs, and a cat. Her husband is a school administrator in a neighboring school district.
She replaces Marlena Walley, who is retiring from the District at the end of this school year.