AREA SCHOOL BOARD CONTESTS FINALIZED

Seventy candidates have announced their candidacies for boards of education in Bollinger, Perry and parts of Cape Girardeau and Scott counties.

The deadline for Missouri candidates to enter school board races by filing at their respective school district offices ended at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Most area school districts are seeking to fill three, three-year terms.

Elections will be held April 6.

Two late filings for the Kelso C-7 Board of Education provided voters with enough candidates for competition. Incumbent Rodney Dock and newcomer Dorothy Deason threw their hats in the ring Friday afternoon. They joined Jerry Klaffer and Fred Higdon in the contest.

Five area school districts had just enough candidates to fill available positions. Oak Ridge incumbents Jeff Hahs, Charles Glueck and Jackqueline Ludwig will remain school board members for another three years, as will Chaffee incumbents William McFerron, Linda Cunningham Wessell and Randy Dooley, and Kelly schools incumbents Teresa DeWitt, Cindy Bollinger and Sonny Scheffer.

In Bollinger County, newcomer John Dale Broshuis will join incumbents Dwayne Stroder and Gerald Jansen on the Leopold school board, while in Zalma, incumbents Connie White and Rick Garner will be joined by Tonya Brewer as school board members after the election.

Perryville voters will select from a field of four candidates. Incumbent Terry Miederhoff and newcomers Tim Rhodes, Raymond Monier and Kim Moore all will vie for positions on the district's school board.

Voters in the Delta School District have the largest selection of candidacies this year. Incumbents James Bowers, Aaron Helderman Jr. and Wesley Kinder Jr. face opposition from Roger Seabaugh, Mike Kelley, Diane Starkey Horn, Phyllis Rhodes, Troy Smith and Jerri Lynn Menz.

Jackson voters will choose from a slate of six candidates. Incumbents Vicky McDowell, Dr. T. Wayne Lewis and Darrell Hanschen face opposition from Mark Baker, Susan N. Farrol and Jewell Beauchamp.

There are four candidates for the Nell Holcomb and Altenburg school board races. In Nell Holcomb, Mark Martin and Kim Kelley joined incumbents Lillian Faye Farrow and Jeri Holcomb in announcing their candidacies.

Altenburg candidates include incumbents Charles Gerler and Colleen Steffens and challengers Anthony Mengwasser and Rhonda France.

Incumbents William Wilthong and Wayne Pettit are both seeking re-election to the Scott City Board of Education. Joining them are challengers Kenneth Raney, Terry Johnston, Sally Porch and Rocky Sharrock.

Incumbent Larry Hatfield and six other candidates are vying for the Oran school board. Joining Hatfield in the race are Ray Cook, Lee Trankler, Jerry Lange, Dan Heeb, Mark Eftink and Neal Seyer.

All three Woodland School District incumbents have filed for re-election. Myra Underwood, JoAnn Shrum and Gary Roberts will face challengers Mark McCormick and Barry Booth in the school board race.

Mike Reagan is the only incumbent seeking re-election on the Meadow Heights Board of Education. Harold Mills, Scott Mayfield and Mike Welker have also announced their candidacies.