Katherine Sasser and Jeanne Snodgrass are the two newest members of Columbia’s Board of Education, having won seats among five contenders in the Tuesday, April 6 election.
Sasser has been a teacher for 15 years and has experience teaching at Columbia Public Schools. She said she is eager to get started.
“I’m really excited. I’m really grateful that the community voted me in. I think we had a really diverse and strong race of candidates. And I’m excited for Jeanne also and to get to work with her on the board.” Sasser said.
Out of the five candidates, Sasser received the most votes with 6,969 of a total 25,583.
Sasser said she is ready to meet with the current board members and learn where they are and what the priorities of the district are.
“I’m really excited to reimagine with those school board members and the new superintendent and a new five year plan coming up how we can transform our schools together.” Sasser said.
Jeanne Snodgrass is the other candidate elected to the school board. She works as the executive director of the nonprofit Mizzou Hillel. She also has experience as an educator and has owned a small business with her husband for five years.
Snodgrass said she is excited to get to work and make things better for students.
“I’m just really excited,” she said. “People are looking for ways to support our students and support our families and looking to the school board to do that and so I want to make sure that that happens.”
Snodgrass won one of two available seats on the school board with 6,193 of 25,583 votes.
Snodgrass said she would like to make sure that the equity work that were a priority before the pandemic remains a priority as the school board shifts to resume in-person learning.
She also said she is focusing on how the school board interacts with the community.
“We also know that a strong public school benefits the community as well and so it’s really important that we have those connections.” Snodgrass said.
Snodgrass also said she wanted to thank the other candidates.
“We spent a lot of time together on forums and really appreciated opportunities to hear their perspectives,” Snodgrass said. “I really am taking that with me going forward because I really want to make sure that all the different voices and different perspectives are being taken into account as decisions are being made.”
Teresa Maledy, an incumbent, lost her seat on the Columbia school board in Tuesday’s election.
