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Board appoints Ben Conover after interviewing five candidates for vacancy
Summary
After interviewing five applicants in a special virtual session, the St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education voted 4-1 to appoint Ben Conover to fill an open board seat; the board then moved into closed session to discuss personnel under Missouri law.
The St. Louis Public Schools Board of Education appointed Ben Conover to fill a board vacancy after a special virtual meeting to interview five candidates and a final vote that passed 4-1.
The board opened the meeting to conduct rounds of interviews with applicants for the unexpired seat. President Tony Cousins said the group would "go through a roundabout and ask you questions" and then allow each candidate time to introduce themselves. Candidates interviewed included Kim Squalls, Tashani (Tashani) Cole, Sabrina Miller, Velma Bailey and Ben Conover.
Why this matters: The appointment fills an open seat on the board and restores a full membership that will oversee district policy, budgeting and the superintendent’s job performance. The vote and selection process also followed the board’s internal discussion about process and the requirement that any final vote to appoint be taken in open session.
Interview highlights - Kim Squalls said the district’s biggest immediate problem was "how the public views the board,"…
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