Mexico Public Schools Board of Education

The MPS Board of Education is comprised of seven individuals who are publicly elected to serve as the educational advocate of our community. School board members are volunteers and are not compensated for serving on the board. Resource: Foundational Principles of Effective Governance

The Role of the Board of Education  (according to the Missouri Schools Board Association)

• GOALS. The board establishes the goals and vision of the district, with input from the community. 
• POLICY. The board develops and approves rules to help schools operate for student success.
• SUPERINTENDENT. The only employee the board supervises and evaluates is the district superintendent. Day-to-day school operations are delegated to the superintendent. 
• BUDGET. The board approves the budget proposed by the superintendent and ensures funding supports district goals. 
• ADVOCACY. The board shares district information with local legislators and the community to secure resources necessary for student success. 

All board actions are governed by state and federal laws and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) guidelines.

The role of the District’s Board of Education is to govern the community’s public schools by making the major decisions for the District as a whole. The Board makes these decisions collectively, and individual Board members do not have the power to speak or act for the Board. 

The Board, as a whole, by working with the superintendent, will make decisions that will best serve the District’s students and will govern the community’s schools. Accordingly, complaints or concerns made to a Board member will be referred to the appropriate District point of contact for resolution. 

School board filing will begin in December 2024. Dates will be announced. Board candidates will be listed on the ballot in order of filing.

Two seats will be on the ballot in April 2025, currently held by Nicole Jahn and Scott Nichols.

District voters elect two members to a three-year term, and every third year, three members are elected. School board elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April; the next election will be April 8, 2025.

Eligibility to serve on the Board

To be eligible for election, a school board candidate must be: 

• a U.S. citizen
• a resident taxpayer of the Mexico Public School District
• a resident of Missouri and the district for at least one year
• at least 24 years old

Candidates must also: 

• Be current on state and local taxes
• Have not been found guilty of or pled guilty to a felony under Missouri or federal law
• Have not registered or requred to register as a sex offender
• Have filed required campaign documents for all previous campaings, if any

Other Resources:

How do I become a school board member? 

Deciding to be a school board candidate (video)

Foundational Principals of Effective Governance

The regularly scheduled meetings of the Mexico Public Schools Board of Education are held on the third Tuesday of each month. Meeting dates are subject to change. 

The meetings begin at 5:30 p.m. and are held in the Central Office Board Room, 2101 Lakeview Road, Mexico, Missouri 65265.