Wichita has lost a longtime community leader.
Melody McCray-Miller, a member of the Wichita school board, died at 69. She leaves behind a legacy of community service, having been a member of the Sedgwick County Commission and the Kansas Legislature.
McCray-Miller was elected to the Wichita school board as an at-large member in 2023. She stepped away from the board about five months ago due to health concerns.
A former USD 259 teacher and Democratic state lawmaker, she advocated for community schools — an education reform strategy that pairs schools with local health centers, housing assistance and other services to address the overall needs of students and families. Wichita Public Schools launched a community schools pilot project with seven elementary schools this past fall.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the Wichita school district said McCray-Miller "brought a districtwide perspective grounded in care, integrity, and a genuine belief in the potential of every student."
McCray-Miller and her late husband, Larry, ran Miller’s Bar-B-Que in northeast Wichita for many years. The two also founded Millers, Inc., a family business that still sells their signature baked beans in grocery stores.
McCray-Miller’s father, Billy Q. McCray, was the first Black member of the Sedgwick County Commission and a Kansas lawmaker for nearly two decades. During his time in the state Senate, he was the only Black member of the body. He died in 2012.
McCray-Miller served as the first Black woman to represent the 4th District on the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners. She later represented the 89th District in the Kansas House from 2005 to 2013.
In 2022, she told the Kansas Oral History Project that she had always considered herself a public servant, not a politician.
“What I was most excited and proud about was being able to represent people, and to reflect a population of people that I knew were underrepresented in both these bodies (the county commission and Legislature),” she said.
“To represent people, and to improve, what I called at that time, quality of life, for those that I knew were not always being focused on.”
The oral history project described McCray-Miller as someone who “successfully championed reforms in prevention, early childhood education, and the juvenile justice system in her role as a local public official and state legislator.”
Kansas Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau is McCray-Miller’s cousin by marriage, and the two grew up together. Faust-Goudeau now serves in the seat Billy Q. McCray once held.
“I looked up to her,” she told KMUW. “She had such a wealth of knowledge on every topic that we discussed (in the Legislature), and so, I would follow her lead quite a bit.
“She had a way of just drawing you in. She could articulate whatever topic it was and kind of mesmerize you with her delivery.”
McCray-Miller was vice chair of the Kansas Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017. She was a Kansas superdelegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, according to election-tracking site Ballotpedia.
Born Nov. 18, 1956, McCray-Miller earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Houston and a secondary teaching certificate from WSU.
McCray-Miller was also a longtime member of Grant Chapel A.M.E. Church of Wichita. Rev. V. Gordon Glenn III said she was invaluable in helping members of the church navigate ongoing local issues.
“Just encouraging others to get involved and to be informed,” he said. “Definitely an advocate for education, an advocate for voting rights, and having your voice out there and known, and to be unafraid to do that.”
McCray-Miller served as an adjunct lecturer in Wichita State University's political science department. She was a Kansas Health Foundation Fellow and an alumna of the Kansas Leadership Center.
Katie Warren, president of United Teachers of Wichita, said McCray-Miller was "the kind of leader every community hopes for."
"She was driven, intelligent, and cared deeply about the Wichita community. She poured her heart into serving others and advocating for students and educators," Warren said.
"She was truly committed to making the world a better place for WPS students. She will be deeply missed."
The Wichita school district will accept applications to fill the seat previously held by McCray-Miller. In the coming months, the school board will publicly interview qualified applicants to determine who will serve the rest of her term, which expires in 2028.
Wichita school board president Stan Reeser said McCray-Miller leaves a lasting impact on the board, describing her as “fiercely independent” and guided by the will of her constituents.
“And I think her experience [in office] basically helped her hone those skills into a talent that I hope the rest of us will try to emulate.”
KMUW’s Carla Eckels and Suzanne Perez contributed to this report.
