SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES SOUGHT

JACKSON -- Less than 24 hours after Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones realized he would play a part in Cape Girardeau's unfolding school board controversy, six people had called to tell him they want to be school board members.

Under a rarely, if ever, used state law, the county commission will appoint three members to Cape Girardeau's school board.

The commission members are accepting letters of application and resumes through April 21 at 4:30 p.m. Commissioners hope to name the new board members by the end of the month.

Missouri law calls on the county commission to make school appointments when a school board has more than two vacancies.

On Wednesday Pat Ruopp and Kathy Swan resigned from Cape Girardeau's school board. John Campbell resigned April 7.

The resignations were another chapter of an unfolding drama in Cape Girardeau schools. In February, school patron Amy Randol questioned handling of district finances. A firestorm of protests from the community led then-board president Ed Thompson to get a court order and remove his name from the ballot. He had been seeking re-election.

Four days before the election, the board voted 4-2 to extend the Superintendent Neyland Clark's contract to three years, causing another public outcry. Campbell resigned a week after the vote.

On Monday, two new school board members took office and power shifted away from Ruopp and Swan. Swan thought she would be the next president, but Bob Fox was elected.

Three vacancies on the board brings the county commission into the picture. Jones said commissioners are quite capable of making the appointments.

In addition to accepting letters of application and resumes, commissioners will solicit applications from people they think would make good board members.

Commissioners will screen and interview applicants during an open meeting.

At Thursday's meeting, school board attorney Joe Russell told commissioners they could set their own rules for the selection. They could even appoint a committee if they wanted.

But Jones said a committee isn't necessary.

"If anybody's going to catch hell, we'll catch it," Jones said.

Jim Limbaugh, president of Boatmen's Bank and a supporter of Clark, attended the meeting. He suggested commissioners look for someone who hasn't been "in the eye of the hurricane" and that the new board members have management backgrounds and "some good old common sense."

Commissioner Joe Gambill said he is seeking applicants with instant name recognition for past accomplishments.

"I'm not so concerned about who wants the job as who will be the best person for the job," he said.

CAPE SCHOOL BOARD

People interested in becoming a Cape Girardeau school board member can:

--Send a letter of application and a resume to the Cape Girardeau County Commission, Attention: County Clerk, 1 Barton Square, Jackson, Mo. 63744, by 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 21.

--Applicants must be at least 24 years old, a citizen of the United States, a school district taxpayer, and a Missouri resident for at least a year.