Schoemehl Resigns From School Board, Slay Appoints Buford

By Peter Downs

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay yesterday unveiled his first major moves to retain control of the school board. He announced the resignation of Vincent Schoemehl from the board a mere four and a half months before he would face re-election. Slay appointed James Buford to fill the unexpired term, and announced that Buford and incumbent board president Darnetta Clinkscale had signed up for the two top spots on the ballot when filing for the school board election opens in three weeks.

Schoemehl had been the lightning rod for criticism of the school board these last three years as the school system deteriorated dramatically.

The switch immediately received mixed reviews. George Cotton, a prominent critic of the school board majority, characterized the move as an effort to salvage Clinkscale’s reputation by getting Schoemehl out of the way before the election.

A group called St. Louis Parents for Kids announced that its members were emailing the mayor to complain that he should have appointed a parent of children in St. Louis Public Schools to the board.