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ST. CHARLES COUNTY听鈥� With less than three weeks before the start of the new school year, employees, parents and residents of the Francis Howell School District are wondering when their new superintendent will show up for work 鈥� or if he will at all.

Newly hired Superintendent Mike Dominguez was supposed to begin work July 1. Four days before that, however, district officials announced his start would be delayed due to "unforeseen circumstances."

District officials since have offered no information regarding Dominguez' status or employment.

鈥淭he update is, there鈥檚 no update,鈥� Board President Steven Blair said during an open board meeting last month.

The school board has held three special closed-session meetings in the last month. The meetings, according to district agendas, were closed for discussion of personnel and legal matters, as allowed by Missouri's Sunshine Law. The outcome of closed session votes must be made public within 72 hours.

The third closed session was held Thursday night. Asked afterward when the public could expect answers regarding Dominguez' status, Blair replied, "I can't share details about when exactly that information would be out in the open."

Messages left with phone numbers and an email address听associated with the superintendent have not been returned.

After exiting the district's administrative building following a July 24 closed-door meeting, Dominguez ignored questions from a reporter, including why he had not started his job,听as he walked to his car parked behind a neighboring building.听

Parents and staff worry something is amiss.

"I hope everything is well with him," said Jamie Martin, a district parent and president of the Francis Howell Forward political action committee. "We are anxious to hear more and know where FHSD is headed."

Francine Hill, president of the district's teacher's union, said, "I'm curious about what's going on and whether it's going to affect our working situation."听

She added, "The gossip mill is turning, but there's been nothing."

Former superintendent Kenneth Roumpos announced his departure in December, saying he would leave for Kirkwood School District in July. Parents and teachers said they lost an exceptional leader who led the district during political turmoil and the worst of the pandemic.

Roumpos' tenure ended three months after an election changed the dynamics of the district's school board. A previous conservative majority's efforts to weed out what they said was Critical Race Theory from learning materials and rescind an anti-racism resolution earned the district national headlines.

With the new school year slated to begin Aug. 18, the lack of news about Dominguez has led to rising uncertainty that calmer times are ahead for Francis Howell.

The new superintendent was hired after a hastened search process. Previous school board leaders said they wanted Dominguez to work alongside Roumpos before he left.

Superintendent searches typically take several months to more than a year, but Dominguez was hired in March, three months after Roumpos announced his plan to leave. The board on a 6-1 vote March 13, with board member Jane Puskar the lone "no" note.

The vote took place less than a month before a general election would shake up the board's makeup.

Dominguez was the first district outsider selected for the role in several years. Francis Howell's last four superintendents听鈥� Pam Sloan, Mary Hendricks-Harris, Nathan Hoven and Roumpos听鈥� all held leadership positions in the district before they got the top job.

The change in superintendents is one of several changes to the district's leadership. Chief Financial Officer Carol Embree retired on June 30; Connie Buckman, formerly chief academic officer, has moved to a principal position at Independence Elementary; and Director of Curriculum Lucas Lammers has moved to Ferguson-Florissant School District. The district also has created a new position, .听

Dominguez was hired from Garden City Public Schools in Kansas, which he led from June 2022 to May 31.听

He resigned from the Kansas district in July 2024, citing "the need to be closer to home and support my aging in-laws," according to a copy of his resignation letter received through a records request.

Dominguez also applied to Clark County Public Schools in Las Vegas, one of the largest school districts in the country with more than 300,000 students.

His previous district, Garden City, had 7,100 students last school year and a budget of $132 million. Francis Howell had 16,500 students and a $246 million budget.

Randy Ralston, president of Garden City's school board, referred a reporter to the district's spokesperson when asked about Dominguez.听

"I don't want to get involved in personnel issues or anything like that," Ralston said. "I can just tell you I enjoyed my time with him."

Dominguez's application to Clark County, which listed none of his colleagues at Garden City as references, shows he's worked for seven public school districts, mostly in Texas, and one charter system during his a nearly 40-year career.

Francis Howell hired him at a $250,000 salary, with the potential for up to 10% raises each school year.

He was one of three candidates interviewed, district spokeswoman Jennifer Jolls said.

"We understand the uncertainty that exists regarding Dr. Dominguez beginning his duties," she said. "We hope to have an update for our community soon."