The Special School District of St. Louis County’s Governing Council held a special election on June 1 to decide who would fill the Subdistrict 2 seat on the Board of Education. Subdistrict 2 represents the Affton, Bayless, Hancock Place and Mehlville school districts.
After three rounds of voting, in which the Governing Council — a 22-member oversight board made up of one Board of Education member from each of the county’s public school districts — reached an impasse every time, incumbent Dan Cuneo was selected as the de facto winner due to his incumbent status. He won against Bob McKitrick.
On the final vote of three, South County school districts Affton, Bayless, Lindbergh and Mehlville voted for McKitrick, while Hancock Place voted for Cuneo. This means three out of the four districts that would be represented by Cuneo voted for McKitrick.
“We’ve had three votes and we remain at an impasse,” Chairperson Kisha Lee said. “The incumbent’s term will extend until our next meeting in September. We will repost for candidates for Subdistrict 2, and we will revote in September.”
The repeated impasses were due to the necessity for a majority to come from both the schools and the weighted population of the schools. On the third and final vote, McKitrick had 41% of schools and 58% of the weighted population.
Cuneo has served on the SSD Board of Education since 2001, and has previously served as president, vice president and director of the board. His professional career includes work as a court psychologist, a psychological consultant and a senior public service administrator with the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. He has served on numerous boards and advisory bodies.
“SSD is unbelievable,” Cuneo said. “We are remarkable at SSD. This is completely different here. The fact that we’re pooling resources, having it as it is here — this is unbelievable. People come to St. Louis County many times just because of the services for their disabled child. This is a remarkable place, and to be part of this is a true honor for me.”
McKitrick is a social studies teacher at Parkway North High School, serving as both a Social Studies Department Chair and a Student Council sponsor for over 20 years. He has held leadership and advisory roles with the Missouri Advisory Council for Certification of Educators, the Parkway’s National Education Association (NEA) Executive Board and the Missouri NEA Board of Directors. He has also served on the Mehlville School District Communication Action Committee and is a recipient of the Pillar of Parkway Award.
“Like many people in our room, I care very deeply for the future of SSD. It is not just a professional interest for me. This is a very personal interest for me,” McKitrick said during his opening statement. “My daughter is an SSD student, and she benefits directly from the services that our district provides. As a father, I have a vested interest in ensuring that SSD remains strong, remains financially stable and capable of providing exceptional services, not only for my daughter, but for every family in every ZIP code that relies upon it.”
