CANDIDATES VIE FOR 3 SPOTS ON CAPE BOARD

A common thread runs through the campaign of the four candidates for Cape Girardeau's school board. The board must restore trust and confidence in school leadership.

Seeking two three-year terms on the school board are Larry H. Trickey, R. Ferrell Ervin, Terry Taylor and Harold Hager.

Board president Ed Thompson and board member Lyle Davis didn't seek re-election.

The election is Tuesday.

The League of Women Voters forum videotapes March 16 will be shown on cable access Channel 5 today at 5:50 p.m. The program lasts about an hour.

Throughout the campaign, Trickey has said the community lacks trust in the school board and Superintendent Neyland Clark.

He has called for Clark's resignation and thinks board members who support him should resign also.

Trickey is also interested in developing an alternative school for students at risk of dropping out of school.

He would like to see reallocation of funds to hire more teachers and lower class sizes. Specifically he has suggested eliminating the position of human resources director held by Dr. Tim Niggle and using the salary to hire teachers.

Ervin said the school board must rebuild trust in the community. He suggests reaching out to the community and really asking for input.

After regaining a measure of trust, the board must establish a long-range strategic plan, Ervin said.

Taylor agreed the board must restore credibility to the school board and the superintendent's office, and he said it is possible Clark may have to leave for that to happen.

Taylor has called for a moratorium on redistricting until the school district has a five-year plan in place. The plan may include construction of a new elementary school, which Taylor believes is needed.

Hager said he doesn't have all the answers, but he recognizes that the board must find a way to get the problems of the past year behind and begin moving forward.

He sees serving on the school board as a way to repay a community that has been good to him throughout his life.

The candidates agree that moving forward includes looking at construction of an elementary school. Taylor would like to see an issue put before voters within a year.

Ervin thinks it will take at least a 1 1/2 to 2 years to build trust enough to pass a bond issue.

Trickey thinks it is a waste of time to ask for voters to approve a new school as long as Clark is superintendent."

Hager said whenever an issue is placed before voters, the board must be confident it will be approved.

"The next bond issue is going to have to be one that's sell-able," he said. "We can't really afford to have another one voted down."

Both Trickey and Taylor favor changing the grade configuration to put ninth-graders into the high school. Seventh- and eighth-graders could be together in a junior high.

Ervin thinks people in Cape Girardeau really like the neighborhood schools and want sixth-graders in elementary schools, but he might support a sixth- and seventh-grade middle school. He doesn't want to see ninth-graders at the high school.

Hager said he hasn't made up his mind about middle schools and wants to hear from more people in the community and from experts before making a decision.

candidate bios and mugs:

Larry H. Trickey, 54, 2901 Bernice, teaches civics and coaches at Notre Dame Catholic High School. Trickey earned a bachelor's degree from Florida State University, a master's degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis, and a master's degree in teaching from Webster University in St. Louis. He formerly worked for Cape Girardeau public schools in the assessment center at the vocational school.

His wife, Patricia, is a counselor at Central High School. Trickey has two grown daughters.

R. Ferrell Ervin, 48, 2221 Earleen Drive, is chairman of the department of mass communications at Southeast Missouri State University. Ervin earned two undergraduate degrees from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, a master's degree from Oklahoma State University in mass communications and a doctorate in journalism from Southern Illinois University.

His wife, Glenna, is a homemaker. They have two children, Blake, 12, and Meghan, 9.

Terry Taylor, 43, 121 Sandstone Lane, is a self-employed meat broker, representing 18 different companies. Taylor graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School.

His wife, Debbie, is a nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital and a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University. They have two children, Chris, a freshman at Southeast, and Sara, a sophomore at Central High.

Harold Hager, 61, 1714 Westridge, is chairman of the mathematics department at Southeast. Hager earned a bachelor's degree in education from Southeast, a master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a doctorate at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

His wife, Jeanine, is a homemaker. They have two grown daughters.