CANDIDATES FEW IN NUMBER OF AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Only one week remains for potential school board candidates to decide if they will run in upcoming elections, and a number of districts don't have enough names yet to fill positions.

A total of 18 people have announced candidacies in 15 school districts in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau and Scott counties. However, to fill all available positions, at least 21 candidates are needed.

"We're just waiting and hoping someone comes in," said Steve DelVecchio, business manager for the Cape Girardeau School District. Dr. Robert Fox, an incumbent, has been the only candidate to file in the district.

Incumbent Harry Rediger has announced he will not run for another term on Cape Girardeau's board. He intends to retire next year and does not want to commit to a multiyear term.

Other districts having only one candidate include Jackson, Woodland, Delta, Chaffee, Scott City, Kelly and Zalma. Two or more candidates have filed in the Nell Holcomb, Oran, Scott County Central and Meadow Heights school districts.

No one has filed in the Oak Ridge, Kelso C-7, Woodland and Leopold school districts.

Each of the districts has two, three-year terms that candidates would vie for in the April 1 elections. Chaffee also has an unexpired two-year term that became available when Wayne Pressley resigned on Dec. 1 because he moved out of the district.

The filing deadline this year is 5 p.m. Tuesday, two weeks earlier than it has been in the past. However, school officials do not attribute the shortage of candidates to the earlier deadline.

"The deadlines were announced in the local paper, so I think they are as aware of it as they usually would be," said Leopold superintendent Robert Turner.

Zalma superintendent Darryl Sauer agreed: "I don't think the earlier deadline has anything to do with it. We just came back to school, so I'm sure others will file this week. It's just a busy time of year."

Potential candidates for school board seats are required to sign a declaration of candidacy when they notify the board of education of their candidacy. They must sign a notice of filing a required financial disclosure statement, which states they may be required to release a financial statement.

1997 CANDIDATES

Candidates for area Boards of Education

Filing deadline: 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 14

Cape Girardeau

Dr. Robert Fox

Jackson

Thomas A. Ludwig

Nell Holcomb

Dwayne Kirchhoff

Darrin Pruitt

Oak Ridge

None

Delta

John Livingston

Scott City

Nancy Caldwell

Chaffee

Danny Finley (3-year term)

Scott County Central

Tim McIntyre

Kenneth Rodgers

Kelso C-7

None

Kelly

Scott Sanders

Oran

Tom Urhahn

Rosalia Friga

Tony Wagoner

Meadow Heights

Phyllis Bollinger

Troy Allen

Terry Propst

Woodland

None

Leopold

None

Zalma

Richard Kline