State Board of Education passes on Ridder, local candidates

In naming Margaret Vandeven to Missouri schools’ top job, the State Board of Education overlooked three local candidates.

Former Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Norm Ridder, Branson Public Schools Superintendent Doug Hayter and Joplin School District Superintendent C.J. Huff were in the running. Terry Adams, a former superintendent in Rockwood and Wentzville, was the fifth finalist.

Vandeven, deputy commissioner for the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education’s division of learning services, starts Jan. 1 as the sixth commissioner of education. She succeeds the retiring Chris Nicastro, according to a news release.

“I stand ready to support our school districts and charter schools, working together to move Missouri into the top 10 in student performance,” Vandeven said in the release.

Ridder, who was hired in July as interim superintendent for the Mehlville School District in St. Louis, has now been passed over for three state-level jobs. He also was in the running for the commissioner of the Nebraska State Board of Education late last year and a similar position in Wyoming in mid-2013. After ending his contract early at SPS, he was succeeded by John Jungmann, former superintendent at Liberty Public Schools, on July 1, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.[[In-content Ad]]