FOUR SEEK SEATS ON KELSO SCHOOL BOARD

KELSO -- One incumbent and three other candidates are running for three seats on the Kelso C-7 Board of Education.

Two incumbents, Charlie Schwartz and Frank Essner, are not seeking re-election.

Charles Goodale has been on the board for three years and is a Missouri School Boards Association certified board member. He has lived in Kelso 17 years and works as a rural carrier associate for the Cape Girardeau Post Office.

Goodale and his wife, Paula, have two sons. The older son, Taylor, attended kindergarten through eighth grade at Kelso C-7 and the younger son, Trenton Drew, is in fifth grade.

The incumbent said one of his main concerns is providing proper school facilities for the students in the district.

Challenger David Harper moved to New Hamburg seven years ago and has two children, Kristen, who is in third grade, and Brett, who will begin kindergarten in the fall. His wife, Karen, is a New Hamburg native.

Harper is employed at Lone Star Alternative Fuels in Cape Girardeau. He said he is running for the school board for a specific reason: to help the district's children get the best education patrons' tax dollars can provide.

A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Rodney Dock said he wants to be on the Kelso C-7 School Board to provide the best education for all children, regardless of sex, race, religion or culture. He and his wife, Carri, have two daughters, Jessica, 7, and Danielle, 4.

Dock has a bachelor's degree in workforce education and development from Southern Illinois University.

Candidate Joe Schwartz Jr. currently is serving his second term on the St. Augustine School Board. He and his wife, Julie, have two four children, Julie and Eric, who attend college, and Stacy and Nicholas, students at St. Augustine Elementary.

Employed by Schwartz Farms, a cattle and grain operation, Schwartz said he placed his name on the ballot to help provide a quality education for Kelso C-7 students.