Those interested in serving on the De Soto Board of Education have until Friday, Sept. 30, to submit a letter of application.
The school board is seeking to replace Pamela Midgett, who turned in a letter of resignation Aug. 31. Her resignation took effect Sept. 15 after the remaining six board members voted unanimously to accept her resignation.
Midgett, who did not attend that meeting, was first elected to a three-year term on the board in April 2018 and ran unopposed for a second term in April 2021.
The person who’s appointed to fill the seat will serve until the April 2023 election.
Also at the Sept 15 meeting, the board agreed to accept letters from interested candidates to fill the seat. The letters should include the candidate’s qualifications and the reasons he or she wishes to serve on the board.
Letters may be mailed or dropped off to the board’s secretary, Dawn Selsor, at the district’s Central Office, 610 Vineland School Road, De Soto, 63028, or emailed to her at selsor.dawn@desoto.k12.mo.us.
Once the application deadline has passed, a subcommittee of three board members – president Bev Wilson, vice-president Mark Ferrell and Tarrole Milfeld – will review them. Then, the top three prospective candidates will be invited to interview with all six board members at a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11.
After the three candidates have been interviewed, the board is scheduled to vote on Midgett’s replacement at that meeting, with the successful candidate to be sworn in and seated at the board’s next regular meeting on Thursday, Oct. 20.
In her resignation letter, Midgett, 60, a retired assistant manager for Walmart, said she was sorry to step down from the seat.
“I want to thank all the Board of Education and you for being patient with me,” she wrote. “At this time, it is with great difficulty to inform you that I am resigning from the Board of Education effective immediately. I have truly enjoyed working with all of you. It is with great sadness that I make this decision to leave.”
Wilson said she called Midgett after learning about her resignation letter but did not press her for a specific motivation beyond “personal reasons.”
“I know over the last few months, she said it was becoming more difficult for her to make our meetings,” Wilson said. “I know she wanted to put her whole heart into the school board, the school district and the community. She was very dedicated and worked hard to be a good board member. She will be missed, but now our attention must be directed to choosing the best possible candidate to replace her.”
Under state law, candidates for school boards must be at least 24 years old, be a resident of the state and the school district they wish to represent, not be delinquent in taxes and must not have been guilty of a felony or be a registered sex offender.