By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Filing for a position on the St. Joseph School Board is open.
The filing period for two open school board seats runs through December 27th at 5 o’clock.
St. Joseph School Superintendent Gabe Edgar encourages St. Joseph School District voters to consider running.
“I would like to see a candidate that has a vision for the school district,” Edgar tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Edgar says, at present, the district is concentrating on attendance and academics.
“What I would like to see is somebody that has a vision that kind of ties to that,” Edgar says.
A candidate must be at least 24 and a resident of the district for at least one year. A candidate cannot be behind in taxes, a felon, or a registered sex offender. All campaign disclosure reports must be filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
Running for school board goes beyond such candidate criteria, according to Edgar, who says the school board plays a major role in given the administration direction.
“I think it’s important that school board members understand the job that they have in front of them and that’s to manage me as a superintendent of schools, to create policy, and to hold each other accountable for following policy,” according to Edgar.
Edgar says though being a member of the school board has its challenges, it can be very rewarding.
“I think it’s important that a board member come in, have an open mind and that they’re there for the right reasons,” Edgar says. “And then it can be very rewarding in the end.”
So far, Community Action Partnership Executive Director Whitney Lanning and firearms safety instructor Shawn Harper have filed.
The election will be held April 4th.
Meanwhile, the St. Joseph School District issued a statement that it is aware of allegations that inaccurate tax information is included on a candidate's declaration forms. The district says it has notified the state, which will review the matter. If the allegations prove true, the candidate will have the opportunity to make corrects to the declarations forms.