Hazelwood superintendent to interview for Commissioner of Education position

By Sharon Stevens, Education Reporter

KSDK -- A St. Louis-area educator is among three finalists to become Missouri's Education Commissioner.

Dr. Chris Wright Nicastro of the Hazelwood School District will be interviewed by the Missouri State Board of Education Wednesday in Jefferson City. If selected, Nicastro would be the state's first female education commissioner.

Nicastro has served as Hazelwood's superintendent since 2002. She was named the 2009 Missouri 'Superintendent of the Year.' She previously held administrative positions in Riverview Gardens, Ritenour and Nortwest R-1 School Districts.

"The first priority has to be to insure that each and every child in the state of Missouri is successful. It is the job of public schooling to prepare children for their future," Nicastro said.

Dr. Bert Schulte, the current interim commissioner, and Dr. Dennis Cheek, a Pennsylvania-based educational consultant, are also vying for the job to replace former commissioner D. Kent King, who died earlier this year.

Following tomorrow's interviews, the State Board of Education will continue to review the finalists' applications, according to Dr. Russell Thompson, president of the State Board of Education. The board also has the option to call additional candidates for an interview, particularly if one of the finalists should elect not to proceed in the selection process, he said.

The State Board of Education will not make a decision this week about appointing a new Commissioner of Education.