‘Extremely eye opening,’ SJSD BOE discuss trends at work session

By Jazmine Knight

The St. Joseph School Board met this evening to discuss progression in the search for a new superintendent.

If you recall back to June, current superintendent, Gabe Edgar, announced his retirement at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

In recent meetings, the board finalized a timeline for hiring which includes when applications open and when interviews will be conducted.

During tonight’s meeting, Missouri School Board Association trainer, Katherine Whittaker, presented the board with different statistics to help them understand their potential pool of candidates.

For instance, Whittaker’s presentation included information on the prior experience of superintendents across the state of Missouri. Results showed that since 2019, most superintendents hired in Missouri are first time superintendents.

“I think it was extremely eye opening,” said LaTonya Williams, school board president. “I never knew that you could even be in that role and you lack the education experience.”

Williams believes knowing this information ahead of time can be helpful in the search. Not only does it give the board a chance to understand the applicant pool but it also opens their eyes to other potential candidates.

Board members also used the time to go over some district goals. Williams says their number one priority will always be to put the district and the kids first.

“I know at times it can look a little crazy, but we are actually accomplishing a lot and on a extremely positive trend right now,” she said.

On the other hand, there are still issues that need to be addressed and improved before the district can welcome a new superintendent. Williams claims that one of the main issues is communication across all areas.

“Like in any job, if your boss is not involved in a positive manner, it’s going to make a hostile work environment, and it’s going to make accomplishing goals of the district extremely difficult,” said Williams.

Whittaker suggested possibly using a mediator to resolve issues in communication and between board members. While board members rejected the idea for the time being, Williams says a mediator could be a good idea if board members are ready for compromise.

“A mediator is only as good as the people in the room,” she said. “If there’s no change, if there’s no accountability, if there’s no mindset of I want to change you and myself, it isn’t going to work.”

Though some difficult conversations were held between members, Williams agrees that they were necessary for positive change.

“In all honesty, as long as everyone is able to work. Together effectively in the boardroom for the children and the community, that’s all I’m concerned about,” Williams said.