Five contenders battle for two seats on Cape Girardeau school board

Five candidates will vie for two open seats on the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education on Tuesday, April 8.

Incumbent Matt Welker is seeking a third three-year term with the board, and will face challengers David Bosak-Barani, Andrew Ostrowski, Lynn Ware and Deborah Young. Current board member Veronica Langston chose not to run for reelection, guaranteeing at least one new face on the board.

Welker was first elected to the board in 2019 and has previously served as board president. Outside of the board, Welker works as a partner for Day Transfer Co. in Cape Girardeau — a company that specializes in full-service moves for corporate relocation, office, military and residential moving and both long-term and temporary storage — where he handles accounts payable and receivable, along with driver settlements.

A “proud” 1999 graduate of Cape Central High School, Welker also has two children who attend schools within the district. Welker said he “love(s) the school district” and is “willing to do anything it takes to continue supporting the improvements within the district that we’ve been making.”

“If I am elected to a third term, my priorities would pretty much remain the same as what they have been,” Welker said. “That’s to continue providing the needed resources that support the success of the district and to ensure that sound budgetary decisions are made so that we can continue to provide increasingly competitive compensation for our district employees. …

“We're proud that we're able to provide a higher level of compensation for district employees compared to surrounding districts. That's always been a big priority of mine since I've been on the board, is to ensure that we're able to be competitive, attract quality teachers and retain them.”

Bosak-Barani is also a graduate of Cape Central, receiving his diploma in 2001. He then received a degree in Instrumental Music Education from Southeast Missouri State University and a master’s in Educational Leadership. He worked as a teacher for 18 years — at Puxico and Perryville high schools — and is currently a school service representative with Ernie Williamson Music.

Bosak-Barani said his current work gives him extra time that he can use to “give back” to the community. He has a child who attends Cape Girardeau Schools, and said his experience as a teacher gives him the “knowledge base necessary to be a good school board member.” He said his top priorities are teachers’ mental health, pay and benefits.

“The job of a school board member is to set policy, do the budget each year and oversee the superintendent,” Bosak-Barani said. “As far as goals, it would be anything I could do involving those three things that would help teacher retention and help bring in highly qualified teachers to the district. As a former teacher, I understand it's a very hard job, and I want to help make their job easier.”

Ware, originally from Flint, Michigan, is a former board member, serving from 2012 to 2021. She is a retired employee of the Cape Girardeau Police Department and previously served as director of the Cape Girardeau Safe Communities Program and SEMO’s Hoover Senior Adult Center before it was closed in 2019. She also volunteers with the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Foundation and said she has been involved with the youth in Cape Girardeau for “well over 20 years”.

Ware received her bachelor’s degree from Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas, and her master’s from William Woods University in Fulton. She said she “wants to be at the table” again because of “challenges coming down the pipe from President (Donald) Trump” such as eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. She also touted her experience serving on boards throughout her career.

“No school district is perfect, but I want to be in a position where people feel comfortable enough to call me and discuss their concerns,” Ware said. “I want to hear about the issues that are not making our teachers happy and respect their privacy enough to keep who they are.

“I want to be aware of the challenges that our district is facing and be a part of a positive solution. I have served on multiple boards, including national, state and local, so I think it's very, very important that someone is on the school board that has board experience.”

Young founded the Lion of Judah International Association of Outreach Ministries in 2012, has served on the City of Cape Girardeau’s Planning and Zoning Commission and was an alcohol and substance abuse counselor with the Gibson Center before starting a private business as a school counselor. Young’s biological children attended Cape Girardeau Schools, and she has two adopted children who go to school in the district.

Young, originally from Illinois, has lived in Cape Girardeau for “30-plus years”. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary special education from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and a master’s from University of the Southwest, a private university in Hobbs, New Mexico. She said she is running as an “advocate to save the public school system.” She will host a meet-and-greet event beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at 1049 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

“I believe with all my heart that the public school system is the backbone of a thriving democratic society, and keeping them is essential for building a fair and prosperous future,” Young said. “The reason is that the public school system provides every child, regardless of their socioeconomic background, with access to quality education. It levels the playing field, giving all students a fair chance to succeed and contribute meaningfully to society. Without a robust public education system in place, the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged widens, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality. …

“The governor has allocated $50 million to private and Christian schools, but no one has said anything about the public school system. I also believe that the voucher system that they're talking about putting in place is just public welfare for the Christian schools and the private schools.”

Ostrowski is an insurance broker and a SEMO graduate who has run for office multiple times at both the state and local levels. He did not respond to the Southeast Missourian’s attempts to contact him.

Other contested races

Only four other school districts in the Southeast Missourian’s coverage area will have contested races: Leopold, Meadow Heights, Nell Holcomb and Woodland.

Leopold will see two incumbents, Amy Massa and Lee VanderMierden, face challenger Becky Hobeck for their expired positions.

At Meadow Heights, two seats are up for grabs as incumbents Sheila Bess and Jenny Kent will look to hold their positions against Donna Bristow.

Five candidates seek election for two vacant seats at Nell Holcomb, as incumbents Chad Fisher and Dawn Haupt will not seek reelection. Vying for the two seats are Cliff Merritt, Graham Ritter, Bethany Kirchhoff, Leslie Schermann and Kristin Michel.

Woodland will have two separate school board elections, as two expired seats are up for grabs, as well as one unexpired seat. Incumbents Lance VanGennip and Shari Koenig are seeking reelection for their expired three-year terms and will face Tim Hastings and Erin Ward in the election. Orrin Hawkins was appointed to the board in March 2024 following the death of Doug Lindley. Ward — who was cleared to run for both seats by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, but will have to vacate one if she wins both — will challenge Hawkins, who hopes to be elected to retain his position.

No election races

Eleven school districts in the region will have no elections, as the number of candidates equals the number of seats available.

Jackson incumbents Brian Thompson and Bradley Walters, Advance incumbents David Mayberry and Andrew Jenkins, Chaffee incumbents Blaine Swinford and Mickie Horrell, Delta incumbents Meredith Scherer and Daniel Cook, Scott County (Kelly) incumbents Dorothy Lewer and Kris Heacox and Scott City incumbents Gary Miller and Tim Lowery will all retain their positions on their respective school boards.

Four other districts will not have elections either, however, each school has at least one board member who will not run for reelection. Julie Heisserer and Andrea Koepp chose not to run for reelection to the Kelso school board, and James “Jim” Michael Eftink is the only candidate for both seats; Oak Ridge incumbent Walter Ruesler will retain his seat and Tom Sachse will fill the vacancy left by Ron Tracy; Oran incumbent Travis Bickings will remain on the board as Blake Schlitt will replace Carrie Massey; and Perry County (Perryville) incumbent Dominic Blythe will be joined on the board by Alexandria Leuders who will replace Rich Dix.