JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri State Board of Education has voted to oust Education Commissioner Margie Vandeven, hours after Republican Gov. Eric Greitens appointed a new member to the board.
Greitens has been trying to get a majority of board members to fire Vandeven, but the attempt failed on a 4-4 tie vote last week when another Greitens appointee, Claudia Onate Greim, broke ranks and voted to keep Vandeven.
Greim resigned Thursday and Greitens appointed Eric Teeman of Raytown. The board voted 5-3 Friday to remove Vandeven.
It's unclear why Greitens wants a new commissioner to lead the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Current DESE Deputy Commissioner Roger Dorson will serve as the department's interim commissioner.
In a tweet from Missouri DESE, Vandeven said she has valued the opportunity to serve state education.
“I am an educator. A teacher. Like most MO teachers, I focus on students. It has been an opportunity that I will forever cherish.” - Vandeven
— Missouri DESE (@MOEducation) December 1, 2017
Teeman is a former Raytown alderman and owner of Visiting Angels, a care provider for seniors.
Greitens issued a statement which read, in part: “Today, kids, teachers, and families won. The State Board of Education voted for new leadership for our school system. That's a major step in the right direction as we work to improve public education in Missouri.”
He went on to list priorities concerning the Missouri education system, including raising teacher wages, supporting public schools, and helping students succeed.
The statement also implied that taxpayer money intended for the system went to high-salaried officials instead of to the schools, teachers and kids.
Democratic Sen. Gina Walsh also issued a statement on Vandeven’s firing, which said “The removal of Dr. Vandeven is completely without merit and anyone who cares about Missouri’s schools should be outraged… It’s a shame to see her ousted by the governor in a political power grab.”
House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty called it “the worst abuse of political power by a Missouri governor in living memory.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
