Missouri Board of Education extends search for next commissioner

There was no vote Tuesday on a new Missouri education commissioner after all.

The Missouri State Board of Education instead set out a process by which it hopes to name a successor to retiring commissioner Chris Nicastro by the end of the year.

Earlier this fall, state board president Peter Herschend had projected a swifter search, saying he thought the board had strong candidates under consideration and could vote on a selection as early as Tuesday.

Several superintendent groups around the state raised concerns, however, urging the board to seek more public input and give time for more candidates to emerge.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be accepting nominations and applications through Nov. 21.

The public is invited, the department’s statement said, to add thoughts on what characteristics should be seen in the next commissioner as well as the factors the board should consider in making its selection.

The board will select finalists after Dec. 1 and invite each to a personal interview before voting and naming the commissioner, “hopefully … by Dec. 31,” the statement said.

The state asked that nominations, applications and other recommendations be sent to commissionersearch@dese.mo.gov.

This story was originally published October 28, 2014 at 11:08 AM with the headline "Missouri Board of Education extends search for next commissioner."