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Schools

Father of Two MRH Students to Join School Board

Maplewood resident Francis Chmelir has been tapped to fill a vacancy on the Maplewood Richmond Heights Board of Education.

The Maplewood Richmond Heights Board of Education welcomed a new member Wednesday night after appointing Francis Chmelir to a vacancy on the board.

Maplewood resident Chmelir was one of three candidates, , to apply for the open spot that formed following the . He will serve until April 2012 and said he plans to seek re-election.

Chmelir works as the director of external operations for the University of Missouri Extension's tech startup organization, MoFAST. He has two children enrolled in the district. Board Treasurer Nelson Mitten nominated Chmelir and said his experience operating and making decisions within the constraints of state funding would be an asset.

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"I am familiar with trying to achieve lofty goals in a public setting and familiar with the accountability and requirements involved," Chmelir said during his interview.

In addition, Mitten referenced Chmelir's ability to reach out to parents in the private school community. During his interview, Chmelir explained that his kids  initially attended private institutions before transferring to the public system. He said he was pleasantly surprised with the quality of education at MRH.

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"I feel like I can speak to that community very strongly," Chmelir said.

Chemlir will formally be sworn in at the board's regular June meeting, but he will begin his duties this week. Board President Maria Langston asked him to join the board for Friday's high school graduation.

The candidates were interviewed together and were asked to answer the same questions. The board then adjourned for a short executive session to discuss personnel matters before returning to vote.

McMakin also was nominated and received two votes, from board Vice President Lamar Agard and board member Ralph Posley. Langston, Mitten and board members Brooke Rintoul and Julie Pole voted in favor of Chmelir.

Board president Maria Langston said the group faced a tough choice with a slate of strong candidates. McMakin has two kids in the MRH school system and has long been involved with various district activities and committees, while Kaufmann has "frontline" experience as a former St. Louis Public Schools teacher.

Langston also discussed what she described as the sadness felt by the MRH community because of Hogue's death, and she said she found hope in seeing a spirit similar to his in each of the candidates.

"You have pretty big shoes to fill tonight, but each one of you are a lot like (Hogue) in your commitment to your community, your faith and your schools," Langston said.

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