A Missouri Senate committee has approved the latest round of appointees submitted by Gov. Mike Kehoe.

They include two nominees for the State Board of Education, among them Thomas Prater, a former Springfield City Council member and school board member. State Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, cast the lone “no” vote, questioning Prater’s commitment to ending Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

“My memory of your support for Dr. (John) Jungmann with the Springfield Public Schools Superintendent, if I’m not correct, not mistaken, he advocated vociferously for DEI inclusion,” Moon said while questioning Prater.

Prater said his term on the school board ended two months after the superintendent was hired and that he had very little supervisory experience with him. But he also called Jungmann “by far the most experienced and qualified candidate” that they interviewed.

The other State Board of Education appointee approved by the committee Wednesday was K. Brooks Miller, Jr., the former CEO of Jordan Valley Community Health Center in Springfield. He told the Senate Committee on Gubernatorial Appointments that each school district in Missouri is unique and has different characteristics.

“What I would see as priorities (for K-12 schools) is the communication and development of an understanding of those certain characteristics, and how we best address them,” he said.

Miller was unanimously approved by the committee.

The nominees next go before the full Missouri Senate for a vote.