With Dr. Eric Knost’s legacy ending in the Mehlville School District on June 30 of this year, a new interim has stepped in to take his place.

Dr. Norman Ridder, the current Superintendent of the Springfield (MO) School District, will take the place of Knost on July 1 for the 2014-2015 school year. Ridder has been with the Springfield School District for the past nine years, and currently watches over 24,000 students who reside in the district. He had had 40 years of experience in the education field, and has taught in Omaha and was the Superintendent in Colorado Springs, Colorado before going to Springfield. Ridder is one of many staff changes in the Mehlville School District this year.

“We are looking forward to working with the parents, the students, the staff and the community to build a better educational program for the children,” Ridder said in a video that was played during the May 22 board meeting when he was first announced as the new interim.

Knost will leave on June 30 to be the new Superintendent at Rockwood, and Ridder will step in on July 1 and take in the duties of being the new Mehlville School District Superintendent.