The St. Paul school board on Tuesday picked the husband of a district teacher to fill a short-term board vacancy created by Steve Marchese’s resignation.
Yusef Carrillo will serve April 15 through the end of the year, unless a large number of registered voters contest his appointment.
Carrillo, 40, said he’s also “seriously contemplating” running in November, when voters will decide not only who serves the final two years of Marchese’s term but also which three candidates will serve full four-year terms.
Born in Spain, Carrillo holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history. He worked in enrollment for the Oakland Unified School District before moving to St. Paul in 2017, where he is a product analyst for Securian Financial.
His wife, Emily, is a dual-immersion curriculum coordinator at Wellstone Elementary, where their two sons are enrolled as students.
Responding to a list of questions, Carrillo told the board Tuesday he wants to “give voice to the voiceless” who lack the knowledge or resources to advocate for their children.
In discussing his qualifications, he touted his financial knowledge and experience working on school enrollment issues.
He promised to be approachable, encouraging, transparent and committed to equitable policies and practices.
In the first round of voting Tuesday, Carrillo won the support of board members Jim Vue, Jessica Kopp and Zuki Ellis.
Jeanelle Foster and Chauntyll Allen preferred James Farnsworth, a Highland Park graduate and college student who was elected Monday to the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.
Board member John Brodrick liked Samakab Hussein, a Somali refugee who learned English in St. Paul schools and owns a small business.
St. Cloud State University political science professor Shoua Spencer Yang also interviewed Tuesday.
Ben Bauer and Dan Solomon were invited to interview but withdrew from consideration. The two other applicants, Mike Shay and James Beaumaster, did not get invites.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct information about the four applicants who were not interviewed.