Mehlville Board of Education members voted unanimously last week to approve a 1.5-percent salary increase for the 2012-2013 school year for Superintendent Eric Knost.

While the current board does not see eye to eye on all district matters, we were pleased to see the unanimous vote in support of Knost, who officially started his second year as superintendent on July 1.

When Knost assumed Mehlville’s reins on July 1, 2011, he faced some immense challenges, not the least of which was the continuing fallout from the previous Board of Education’s ill-advised and unreasonable decision to place an 88-cent tax-rate increase on the November 2010 ballot.

Needless to say, the proposed 88-cent tax-rate hike, Proposition C, was overwhelmingly trounced by voters, capping a string of disastrous decisions and public gaffes by former board members who lost touch with both residents and the reasons they initially ran for office.

The public’s perception of Mehlville was so damaged that Venki Palamand identified restoring the district’s credibility as his top priority when he was elected board president in April 2011.

A great deal of progress has been made in restoring Mehlville’s credibility, largely a result of the leadership Knost has demonstrated as superintendent.

The current school board is comprised of members with many diverse points of view. Yet, more often than not, Knost has been able to unite the board on important issues facing the district.

Furthermore, Knost’s community outreach efforts have been second to none. As superintendent, he has conducted three town-hall meetings, entertaining questions, comments and suggestions from residents.

We believe Knost’s efforts to engage the public are unprecedented, as we never have seen any Mehlville superintendent demonstrate such a willingness to meet face to face with district residents. Besides the town-hall meetings, Knost has made it clear he can be reached by residents at (314) 467-5001.

As superintendent, Knost’s goal is to unite all segments of the community, and one year into his tenure as superintendent, we believe he has made great strides toward realizing that goal.

We’re pleased to see the Board of Education recognized Knost’s efforts with a unanimous vote of confidence on his pay increase.