New School Board Members Sworn In, Palamand Elected President

Three new faces were sworn in on the Mehlville school board at Wednesday’s meeting and the new board elected Venki Palamand to serve as the president.

Palamand has served on the board since April 2007 when he was elected along with current board member Larry Felton. Felton, who also ran for president, received three votes to Palamand’s four. Board members Michael Ocello and Tom Diehl voted for Felton, while Rich Franz, Mark Stoner and Elaine Powers voted for Palamand. Each candidate voted for themselves.

“I’d like to play a larger role in leading this district,” Palamand said after the meeting. “We need to get back to governing the district and doing the best we can with the resources provided by the community.”

Palamand grew up in the district and was a 1985 graduate of Oakville High School. While on the board, he was a driving force behind weighted grade changes and adding college counselors at the high school level. Palamand ended Diehl’s four-year stint as board president.

New board members  were sworn in for three-year terms after the previous board voted to accept the of the April 5 election.

The three replaced the vacated seat of Karl Frank Jr., and Erin Weber and Drew Frauenhoffer, who did not seek reelection.

The board’s first task was to elect officers. Felton was elected vice president by a vote of 4-3 and Powers was unanimously selected as secretary. The board also voted to keep Noel Knobloch as Chief Financial Officer.

Superintendent Terry Noble recognized departing board members Frauenhoffer and Weber for their services to the district over the last three years.

Noble thanked Weber for providing focus to environmental issues within the district.

“I think it’s probably safe to say… Drew is Mr. Mehlville,” Noble said about Frauenhoffer. “During my tenure with the district, I’ve not met anyone that is more passionate about the Mehlville School District.”

Both Weber and Frauenhoffer said that serving on the board had been an honor, thanked the administration for their hard work and wished them luck in the future.