Longtime Festus R-6 Board of Education member Marcus Shepherd recently resigned his seat on the board, citing work obligations.
“I resigned because my responsibilities at work were making it impossible for me to keep up with my responsibilities on the board,” Shepherd said Monday.
The rest of the board members voted 6-0 on Feb. 15 to accept his resignation. Shepherd was absent from the meeting.
Shepherd said he served on the board for a total of 17 years, although he was off it for the year prior to the April 2022 election, when he ran for and won the final year of an unexpired term. Then he ran for re-election in April 2023 and won a new three-year term.
He said he appreciated the chance to serve on the board.
“It’s been enjoyable to serve the district and see a lot of the things I originally had as goals get completed,” Shepherd said. “It’s been very enjoyable and rewarding to see the district do what it has done.”
Doug Wendel, the board president, said Shepherd’s resignation came too late for the district to place the remaining two years of his term on the April 2024 ballot, so the board plans to appoint someone to fill the seat until the following year’s election.
“We will be accepting applications and hope to appoint somebody at our April meeting,” Wendel said.
The board normally meets at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, but the board members voted 6-0 for the April meeting to be held Tuesday, April 16, in order to adhere to the state deadline to reorganize after the April 2 election.
The board’s March meeting is scheduled for its regular third Thursday on March 21.
The board meets in the Roy D. Burnside Administration Building, 1515 Mid-Meadow Lane, Festus.