It was a bit of housekeeping that went largely unnoticed during the Joplin R-8 Board of Education meeting Tuesday night.As Sharrock Dermott assumed the position at the head of the table as the new board president, Dr. Ron Lankford, assistant superintendent for business services, picked up a now extraneous item and carried it over to Board Secretary Janet Waldo.
She accepted the plate, bearing the name "Jeff Koch" and the meeting resumed moments later.
Koch, who had served as board president for an unprecedented three years, was defeated in his bid for re-election and departed graciously at the end of the adjournment of the old board saying "a great deal of change has taken place in the past three years. I feel the district is on a good path." Koch praised the team that has been assembled for the district and pledged his continued support.
A few moments after Koch's departure, Superintendent Melinda Moss conducted the election of officers for the new board, with Dermott elected president and Brent Jordan vice president.
When Koch was first elected board president, a different superintendent, C. J. Huff, conducted the election.
And while the terms of Huff's departure can be questioned (and rightly so), his removal ended a dark era for the Joplin R-8 School District and for that alone Koch earned the gratitude of taxpayers, teachers, staff, and students.
Did fine early on then poof....glad he is retiref
ReplyDeleteHe did a very nice job. Contientious, thoughtful and professional. I will say he seemed almost giddy to go...lol.
ReplyDeleteHuff and his minions were the worst thing ever to happen to the Joplin school district.
ReplyDeleteKoch was the worst President the board ever had. He acted like a spoiled brat and held the board hostage until he got his way to be President.
ReplyDeleteKoch has no sense of the separation of church and state. Agree or not, it's Constitutional, and his comments and actions would have eventually gotten the district in yet another litigious situation.
ReplyDeleteBest president we've had. The above comments to the contrary are ludicrous. I now worry about the board composition. Never good when former administrators get on a school board....Fort is simply awful.
ReplyDelete6:42, are you for real? Did you watch the infamous five-hour board meeting in which Fort and Banwart were the nominees for president? That meeting had more awkward moments that a junior-high dance. Koch had been the low-key facilitator trying to get an agreement. Koch never put his name up for president. Banwart did.
ReplyDelete@12:38 I think you should watch those meetings again. Koch knew exactly what he was doing. He was always a deciding factor vote against until he got his way and he became president.
ReplyDeleteKinda interesting to see two people watch the same meeting and have such different perceptions.
ReplyDeleteKoch was even keel. My only real concern is with the Besendorfer- clone in admin now. Why?
ReplyDeleteHave we really changed or just put a new face on the old crap?