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Governor removes another school board member hours before commissioner vote

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Governor Eric Greitens has withdrawn yet another appointee to the Missouri State Board of Education just hours before a Tuesday morning meeting set to decide the fate of Commissioner Margie Vandeven.

Gov. Greitens had appointed five new members to the board, with the intent of voting out the current commissioner, but news broke Monday evening that the Governor had pulled his appointment of Tim Sumners of Joplin, who had been vocal in questioning the Governor’s tactics.

Sumners had been appointed to the position just a few weeks back in late October, and had initially planned to support the Governor’s plan. But he later had a change of heart and had been planning to join with the three other members of the board in an attempt to block the vote on Tuesday to fire Vandeven.

The removal of Sumners marks the fourth appointee to be withdrawn from the board by Greitens.

Mike Jones, one of the members of the Board of Education, appeared on the latest episode of This Week in Missouri Politics, where he discussed the situation.

“Fundamentally, we’ve had three members request a meeting to consider the continuing status of Commissioner Margie Vandeven,” he said. “I’ve gotten probably over a thousand emails from all over the state, a lot of educators but also parents, superintendents, teachers, retired and active school board members.”

“Why are they trying to fire the commissioner?” host Scott Faughn asked.

“That would be the $64,000 question,” Jones said. “You just asked a question that I will have on Tuesday.”

The panel pointed out that all of the members have to be confirmed by the Senate, saying that the commissions were set up to be nonpartisan, which many opposing the Governor’s plan claim is exactly why the procedures are not being followed.

“There’s legislation that says to remove someone in that position, you have to have a hearing and look into malfeasance and other issues, and that wasn’t done,” Charlie Brennan of KMOX said. “I think he should be able to put in someone who reflects his views.

“I just think he has to follow procedure”

“If you want to make a major shift in education policy or direction, then part of the constitutional process should be that the Missouri Senate should confirm you and then authorize you to engage in that action. It is precipitous and not very conservative to throw away those traditions and those norms to facilitate a conversation,” Jones said.

Jones said it was clear that three people would vote no on Tuesday, but the removal of Sumners takes that opposition down to two for certain.

You can watch the full interview here.