School board vice president will not run in April

COLUMBIA – The Columbia Public School Board Vice President Steve Calloway will not run for re-election in April.

“After sitting down with my wife and talking about it and where we are with our family and where the district is, I just decided it’s not what I should be doing right now," Calloway said.

Calloway said he wants to spend more time with his family, and being a member of the school board requires a lot of time and work.

“It’s certainly not because I’m not willing to do that work, it’s just a choice that I have made right now,” he said.

Calloway described his year as vice president as intense.

“It has been a time for stepping up. We didn’t have a lot of experience on the board," he said. “That’s a scary thing. As vice president I tried, and I feel like I did step up with some things with the little bit of knowledge that I had.”

Calloway offered some advice to future members of the Columbia Public School Board: “A board member should be the very strongest advocate for our schools and for our kids, but they should also be the most critical ... I consider myself a critical friend. As a friend, you tell your friend the hard stuff but you do that with a lot of care and a lot of consideration."

The Missourian has previously reported that Board President Michelle Gadbois is not running for re-election in April either.

“It will leave somewhat of a void," Calloway said of her absence on the board.

However, he has confidence in the other board members.

“The district is going to be OK. We have good board members on board that will do the best they can,” he said.

Calloway has no plans to run for the school board in the future.

There are seven candidates filed for the school board election, including Marc Bledsoe, Jeannine Craig, Michelle Pruitt, Dan Holt, Adam Sorg, Bill Merideth and Greg Flippin.

Applicants have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file for candidacy at the district's administration building, 1818 W. Worley St.