Area school board elections set for April 8

The opportunity to file for election to Missouri school boards ended Tuesday, leaving one local district with too few candidates to fill vacancies and other districts with as many as six candidates vying for two openings.

School board elections will be held April 8. Most Missouri schools are filling two terms of three years each.

An exception to the majority of districts, the Chaffee School District has three vacancies this year, but only two candidates, both incumbents, filed for election.

Brent Ghan, an attorney with the Missouri School Board Association, said the normal procedure in such a circumstance is for the two candidates who have filed to take office after the election. Then, the school board will appoint someone to fill the vacancy until the next election.

Chaffee superintendent Dr. Arnold Bell said the board will probably fill the vacancy with a write-in candidate in the April elections. If that fails, the board will appoint someone to the position, Bell said.

Fox not seeking seat

There will be no contest in the Cape Girardeau school board elections this year either, with only two candidates filing for the two available seats.

This year's elections to the Cape Girardeau board will take place without longtime board member Dr. Bob Fox, whose third term expires this year.

Fox said his main reason for not seeking a fourth term was a lack of time due to added responsibilities as president-elect of the Missouri Dental Association.

"I just didn't feel I could devote the same time to the board that I have in the past," he said.

Fox said in his nine years on the board -- four of which he served as president -- he has been amazed by the accomplishments of the school district.

"Public education is the most important thing a person could ever care about," Fox said. "When I think about how things were nine years ago, and how they are now, it's a world of difference. It's unbelievable."

Fox said he feels the school board is in good hands, but he'll still miss the interaction with community members that he enjoyed while serving.

"It brings a tear to my eye to think I won't be doing it," Fox said "But I'm not going anywhere. I've been in this community 27 years, and I'll still be around if my help is needed."

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128

School board candidates

Tuesday was the deadline to file for school board seats. Elections will be held April 8. Incumbents are indicated in parentheses.

Cape Girardeau

(Two seats available)

Robert S. Brown

William Bird (I)

Jackson

(Two seats available)

Scott W. Wren

Fred Jones

Brent Wills (I)

Cathy Goodman

Mark Baker (I)

Woodland

(Two seats available)

Dale Long

Mark McCormick

Doug Faulkner

Jim Gray (I)

Bill Rhodes (I)

Meadow Heights

(Two seats available)

Terry Propst (I)

Terry Wagner

Bill Van De Ven

Culley DeSpain

Perryville

(Two terms of three years and one term of two years available)

Three-year term:

Tom Frasher

Jim Bauwens (I)

Kevin Bachmann

Two-year term:

Jeff B. Weibrecht

Duane L. Schindler

Oran

(Two seats available)

Tom Urhahn (I)

Marvin Glueck

Carla Graviett (I)

Chaffee

(Three seats available)

Donna Cannon (I)

Jon Townsend (I)

Nell Holcomb

(Two seats available)

Dwayne Kirchoff (I)

Jackie Payne

Darrin Pruitt

Delta

(Two seats available)

Diane Horn (I)

Herbert Blattel Jr. (I)

Mike Eby

Roger Guilliams

Oak Ridge

(Two seats available)

Steve Schonoff (I)

Darrell Hahs (I)

Anthony "A.J." Woods

Tim Junker

Cynthia Sharrock

Mike Light

Scott City

(Two seats available)

Nancy Caldwell (I)

Scott Amick (I)

Randy Modglin

Roger Buckner

Kelly

(Two seats available)

Jim Simmons (I)

Mitchell Sander

Tony Powell

Joe Stuckey