CHERRY TWP — The Moniteau School District voted at a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, to reappoint its law firm after failing to do so at the regular December board meeting.

In a 5-4 vote, the district rehired Dillon McCandless King Coulter & Graham.

The discussion around the reappointment — the only item on the agenda for the special meeting — took about 30 minutes, with some board members questioning the proceedings of the board.

At the Dec. 7 meeting, the board voted 5-4 to open up the position.

Aubrie Schnelle, district superintendent, said the next day administrators received an email from solicitor Andrea Parenti resigning. The renewable service contract with the firm was up at the end of the year.

On Wednesday, the vote to reappoint the law firm as the district’s legal representation passed with President Michael Panza, Vice President Joann Duke, Jennifer Rottman, Linda Dillaman and Mark DeMatteis voting yes, and Randy Armagost, Michael Baptiste, Bryan Sack and Matthew Zietz voting against the motion.

The only board member to change his vote from the preceding meeting was DeMatteis, who said Wednesday that he was not swayed or contacted about his vote by another school board member.

Baptiste said that the board voted to “open up the solicitor position” at Dec. 7 meeting, and asked why the board was voting on the same motion again.

“We should be here tonight getting an interim,” Baptiste said. “That firm quit, they broke their contract with us, they were supposed to go until the end of the year, we asked that question before the vote.”

Panza said he spoke with Parenti and the law firm officials, who said they would come back to the position. He said the board did not have a vote to accept the firm’s resignation.

Panza also said the board members could contact him if they wanted an item placed on a meeting agenda.

Board members at the meeting expressed disdain at how the events unfolded. Armagost said he wants to ask for quotes from law firms to see what other soliciting services are available.

“I don’t like the way it went down, I don’t really care anymore, I am tired of the school board,” Armagost said. “The way it’s written on the agenda and the things that happened in the last five days, my vote is no.”

Schnelle said the reappointment Wednesday will be until the end of next year, with the same pay rate of $190 an hour applying to the contract.

“It’s a renewable every year service,“ Schnelle said. ”Everything should be all the same.“

Before the meeting could adjourn, Baptiste left the school after giving his “no” vote.