Cedrick Baker, a Metropolitan Council administrator who has helped St. Paul parents navigate the public schools system, was appointed Tuesday to a two-month stint as a school board member.

He was among eight candidates competing for a temporary post created by the resignation of Jean O'Connell.

Baker will occupy the seat until a special election is held Nov. 8 to determine who fills the last 13 months of O'Connell's term. He said Tuesday that he does not know whether he will run in the fall.

The board chose Baker for the interim post during the third round of balloting in a special meeting Tuesday.

Baker, who is black, will be one of three minority-group members on the seven-member board.

He lives in the Hazel Park area of the city's East Side, and he works as equity program manager for the Metropolitan Council. He told board members that he has no children in the district, but has tried to contribute in other ways, including by serving as a facilitator with the district's Parent Academy.

The board was forced to fill the vacancy after O'Connell announced in June that she was resigning due to what she called the "disrespectful, destructive and cynical" nature of the current board. The move stemmed in part from the board's decision to oust former Superintendent Valeria Silva.

Filings for the permanent post opened Tuesday and close Aug. 16.

The St. Paul DFL Party has scheduled an endorsing convention for Aug. 13.