Mt. Vernon R-5 Dist. Supt. Cook resigns

Named next CFO at Kirkwood School District
Mt. Vernon R-5 Superintendent Scott Cook has been announced as the next Chief Financial Officer for the Kirkwood School District. Cook will be leaving the Mt. Vernon School District at the end of his contract on June 30, after nine years as superintendent, 15 years total with the district. He’ll be heading to Class 6 Kirkwood Schools, in Kirkwood, a western suburb of St. Louis, with a student population of around 6,200.
Cook said he couldn’t pass up the chance to work for such an esteemed institution.
“The opportunity to move into such a well-respected school district was very appealing and proved too good to pass up,” Cook said. “I am looking forward to spending the last few years of my career in a role where I can focus on the financial aspects of district operations which I have come to really enjoy in the past nine years.”
The opening found Cook, as a colleague reached out to the Mt. Vernon administrator to see if he had interest in the position, which he did.
Cook named several things he was proud of from his time in the Mt. Vernon district, including passing the largest bond in school history in 2020 and the Early Learning Center that resulted; increased pay and education for teachers, and the Summit after-school program.
Cook looks back fondly on the relationships he and his family have forged within the community.
“In the 15 years we spent in Mt. Vernon, we raised our daughter here and built personal and professional relationships we will treasure for the rest of our lives,” Cook said. “The trust placed in me by our board and this community that allowed us to stay here and raise our daughter is something I will always treasure. I experienced what it felt like to be a parent in Mt. Vernon as I marveled every day at the investment our teachers, support staff, and administrators put into my daughter, knowing that other students were the beneficiaries as well. In so many ways, Mt. Vernon will always be home and we will always Bleed Green.