Board appoints Ben Conover after interviewing five candidates for vacancy

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," citing controversy around the superintendent selection and related spending; she emphasized transparency and keeping the focus on students. (Kim Squalls, applicant)

- Tashani Cole said funding and access to resources for students and families were major challenges and noted she has "experience with grants and funding" from prior nonprofit work and youth mentoring. (Tashani Cole, applicant)

- Sabrina Miller described her recent St. Louis Public Schools employment, saying she "resigned from St. Louis Public Schools in December" after working in the district finance office as an accounts-payable clerk and earlier as a school secretary; she said those roles give her finance and community experience she would bring to the board. (Sabrina Miller, applicant)

- Velma Bailey, a long-time educator and volunteer, said she has been involved with the district "since my high school graduation, it's been 50 years" and described after-school and swim-literacy programs she has helped develop. (Velma Bailey, applicant)

- Ben Conover said one of the district’s largest threats is privatization and named outside groups he described as pushing that agenda, saying the district must resist efforts that would not benefit students. He also cited high housing insecurity among students and said better legislative and community partnerships are needed to support students. (Ben Conover, applicant)

Selection process and vote The board used an approval-style first round (each board member named two preferred candidates) to narrow the field; Velma Bailey and Ben Conover emerged as the top two vote-getters and advanced to a final vote. In the final roll call, the board voted 4-1 to appoint Ben Conover. The board directed staff to notify Conover and to swear him in at the next board meeting.

Formal motions and next steps - Motion to approve Ben Conover to fill the vacancy: passed 4-1. Notification and swearing-in were instructed to occur at the next regular board meeting; the transcript does not specify the exact swearing-in date.

- After the appointment, the board moved to adjourn open session and convene a closed session to discuss personnel matters pursuant to Missouri law. A motion was made to go into closed session under Missouri Revised Statutes §610.021(3); the transcript records a second and a roll-call vote to enter closed session.

Context and immediate implications The appointee will serve on a board that is actively addressing community concerns about district governance and superintendent oversight. Several applicants emphasized transparency, family engagement and support for students facing housing insecurity; some applicants focused on finance and grants, and one applicant highlighted resisting privatization efforts. The board’s appointment fills the vacancy but does not, by itself, change any ongoing policy or personnel decisions beyond restoring a full complement of voting members.

Ending The board instructed staff to notify Ben Conover of his selection and to arrange swearing-in at the next board meeting; the transcript does not list a scheduled date for that swearing-in.