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ST. CHARLES COUNTY — Francis Howell School District officials said Friday their new superintendent won’t start on Tuesday as planned. A deputy will assume his role on an interim basis instead.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Dr. Mike Dominguez is unfortunately unable to begin his duties as superintendent on July 1,� the district said in a message to constituents late Friday morning.

Francis Howell Board of Education appointed Deputy Superintendent Mark Delaney to lead the district in the meantime.

In a statement to the Post-Dispatch, district officials provided no further details, saying only the district is focused on a new strategic plan and will “continue to make progress� as it prepares for the upcoming school year.

The announcement came two days after the district’s board of education held a virtual closed session meeting to discuss personnel items on Wednesday.

Dominguez, a long-time educator and school administrator, was hired in March to replace Superintendent Kenneth Roumpos.

Roumpos said in December he was leaving Francis Howell for the top job at Kirkwood School District, where he starts on Tuesday. His announcement kicked off a hastened search for his replacement.

Superintendent searches can take several months or a year, but previous school board leadership said they sought to replace Roumpos quickly so his replacement could work alongside him.

Dominguez was hired on March 13, less than a month before a general election flipped a majority conservative elects held on Francis Howell’s school board.

Meeting minutes show the seven-member board selected Dominguez with a near-unanimous vote. Jane Puszkar was the only board member to say no.

A copy of Dominguez’s contract, obtained through a records request, shows Dominguez was hired with an annual salary $250,000, with the potential of up to a 10% raise each year. The contract lasts through June 30, 2028.

Dominguez could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dominguez was the superintendent of Garden City Public Schools in Kansas up until May. His move to the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ area would mark a significant transition for Dominguez.

Garden City has 6,850 students, compared to Francis Howell’s 16,500. Nearly 73% of Garden City’s student population is Hispanic; 75% of Francis Howell’s is white.

Dominguez told the Garden City Board of Education in July 2024 that he intended to leave the district due to “the need to be closer to home and support my aging in-laws.�

Previous requests to interview Dominguez have been denied by Francis Howell spokespeople.

Dominguez led Garden City since 2022. Before that, he served five years as superintendent of Stratford Independent School District in Texas and two years as deputy superintendent for Premier High Schools, part of a nonprofit charter school system.

Delaney has held leadership positions at Francis Howell for more than 20 years, including 10 as principal at Bryan Middle, on Francis Howell’s website. He’s been deputy superintendent since July 2024.