School board candidates

Cape Girardeau School District

Charles Bertrand

Incumbent -- Elected last year to one-year term, seeking three-year term

Age: 60

Spouse: Lisa

Children: One adult son, three adult daughters.

Education: Bachelor's degree in secondary education, master's degree in education administration from Southeast Missouri State University, superintendent certification from the University of Texas-Tyler.

Occupation: Owner of Spanish Street Mercantile.

Membership: Former public school educator, retired school superintendent.

Reason for running: I want to help provide the vision for a first-class school system for all students.

Twila Brown

Age: Won't disclose

Spouse: Dr. Randy Brown, cardiovascular surgeon

Children: Three daughters -- a freshman in high school, a seventh-grader and a third-grader.

Education: Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, major in nursing and minor in child development, master's degree in nursing from the University of Oklahoma, and bachelor's degree in nursing from William Jewell College.

Occupation: Assistant professor of nursing at Southeast Missouri State University.

Memberships: Parent Teacher organizations at the high school, junior high school and Clippard Elementary School, Cape Girardeau Central High School Booster Club, Institutional Review Committee for research at Southeast Missouri Hospital, Youth Board and Stephen Ministry at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Sigma Theta Tau international nursing honor society, National League for Nursing, Academy of Neonatal Nursing, Pi Lambda Theta international honor society in education, University of Kansas Alumni Association.

Reason for running: I am passionate about education and education is a high priority to my family. I believe educational opportunities should be fair to all students and provided in a respectful, positive atmosphere that encourages students to succeed.

Kyle McDonald

Age: 37

Spouse: Amy

Children: Two daughters, ages 9 and 5.

Education: Bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from Southeast Missouri State University.

Occupation: Salesman for Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

Membership: Sales for over 15 years, member of Clippard Elementary School PTO, member of La Croix Church and Cape Girardeau Noon Lions Club.

Reason for running: I would like to be a member of the Cape Girardeau Board of Education because I have a strong desire to make my daughters' experience as successful as possible. The parents and teachers need to know that when a concern, an issue or even a good idea is raised that they have the full attention and support of the administration.

Delta School District

Herbert Blattel Jr.

Incumbent -- Seeking fourth term.

Age: 53

Spouse: Wanda Marie

Children: An adult daughter, two adult sons and a third son, 18.

Education: Graduate of Delta High School.

Occupation: Self-employed in the guttering business.

Memberships: St. Ambrose Church in Chaffee and the Men's Club at the church, Knights of Columbus at Oran.

Reason for running: I kind of enjoy it. I feel that we have done a good job in the times past. I look forward to working with the new superintendent. Your school is your community. If you don't have a school, there is not much there.

Aaron Helderman Jr.

Age: 54

Spouse: Mary Beth

Children: Two adult sons

Education: Graduate of Delta High School.

Occupation: Concrete worker for Fronabarger Concreters.

Memberships: Bethlehem General Baptist Church at Crump

Reason for running: I was on the board for 12 years ending in 2005. I decided to do it again. My family graduated from Delta.

Diana Horn

Age: 41

Spouse: Thomas Horn Sr.

Children: Two sons, 20 and 17.

Education: Graduate of Delta High School.

Occupation: Employed at Do It Best hardware warehouse on Nash Road.

Memberships: St. John Catholic Church in Leopold, and longtime member of Delta High School Booster Club.

Reason for running: I served on the school board for three years ending in 2003. I care about our school system and I like to be involved with our kids. I have the experience to do the job.

Carl Landewee

Age: 34

Spouse: Jennifer

Children: A son, 6, and daughter, 3.

Education: Graduate of Oran High School.

Occupation: Farms for father-in-law's Hinkebein Farm.

Memberships: St. Ambrose Church at Chaffee, Knights of Columbus at Oran.

Reason for running: My future is down there now. I want to make sure my children are getting the best education possible. I want to get involved with the school and my kids' education.

Jeff Trovillion

Age: 39

Spouse: Melinda

Children: A daughter, 15.

Education: Graduate of Eldorado High School in Illinois.

Occupation: Material handler at Rubbermaid in Jackson.

Membership: Delta High School Booster Club member.

Reason for running: I have a daughter in the school system. I want to be more involved with my daughter's education.

Nell Holcomb School District

Jackie Foeste Payne

Incumbent -- Seeking a second three-year term.

Age: 41

Spouse: John

Children: Two sons, 13 and 10.

Education: Bachelor of science in business administration from Southeast Missouri State University, certified public accountant license from the state of Missouri, graduate of University High School.

Occupation: Owner of Kenco Enterprises, a company that sells brick, building stone and landscaping products.

Memberships: Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, board of directors of Project Charlie, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Missouri Society of CPAs and Southeast Missouri Homebuilders Association, state certification as a school board member.

Reason for running: I have two children in the district. I just like being a part of their education. We have a really young board right now. I just feel like we need a little consistency for the next term. We are getting a new superintendent, and I was involved in the hiring process.

Lauren Reece

Age: 44

Spouse: Nancy

Children: An adult daughter, and two sons, 9 and 12.

Education: Associate degree in nursing from the University of New York-Albany.

Occupation: Registered nurse at Saint Francis Medical Center emergency department and assistant director of nurses at Heartland Care and Rehab in Cape Girardeau.

Membership: Boy Scouts.

Reason for running: As a parent of two children in the school district, I felt like it was my duty to run for school board. The school has had fabulous leadership through the years.

Shannon Sinn

Age: 35

Spouse: Michelle

Children: A son, 15, and a daughter, 9.

Education: Graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School.

Occupation: Delta Asphalt quality control manager

Memberships: Trinity Lutheran Church at Egypt Mills and elder in the church, veteran of the Marine Corps.

Reason for running: I went to grade school at Nell Holcomb. Both my children have attended there. I just want to try to help the school.

Scott City School District

Roger Buckner

Age: 43

Spouse: Missy

Children: Three sons, 19, 16 and 9, and a daughter, 7.

Education: Illmo High School (now Scott City), Associate degree in electronic technology from the College of the Desert in California.

Occupation: Employed with AT&T.

Membership: Cub master for Scott City Pack 220 for seven years.

Reason for running: I want to help ensure the students of Scott City public schools are provided the best educational opportunities available.

Nancy Caldwell

Incumbent -- Seeking fifth term.

Age: 67

Spouse: Larry

Children: An adult daughter who is a teacher in the Scott City school system.

Education: Bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Southeast Missouri State University.

Occupation: Retired Scott City teacher, having taught school for over 30 years.

Memberships: Broadway United Methodist Church, Scott City VFW Auxiliary, local Math-a-Thon fund-raising chairman for St. Jude's Children Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., volunteer at the Scott City Elementary School library.

Reason for running: I just feel such a connection to the school. I have such an interest in it. I am just not ready to give it up. I feel we have a good school district. I am proud of the things that have been done.

Gary Miller

Age: 62

Spouse: Gail

Children: An adult daughter, two adult sons and a third son, 19

Education: Graduated from Scott City High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University.

Occupation: Retired from operations/management for Union Pacific Railroad after 39 years of service.

Memberships: Charter member of DeMolay at Cape Girardeau, member of Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite, Shriners, American Legion.

Reason for running: I want to be a part of educating our youth and molding their lives for the future. We must ensure that our children have the proper tools to achieve true success, and that we have quality teachers and instructors.

Keith Simpson

Age: 40

Spouse: Teresa

Children: Two daughters, 14 and 12.

Education: Graduate of Scott City High School, attended Southeast Missouri State University.

Occupation: Bridge and grading contractor, owner of A.E. Simpson Construction Inc.

Memberships: Scott City High School Booster Club, volunteer member of a committee that drew up the school district's 2006 comprehensive improvement plan, lifelong resident of Scott City.

Reason for running: I think Scott City has an extremely good school system currently in place. Being a lifelong resident and graduate of the Scott City school system, and having two children who are active in school activities, I would like an opportunity to dedicate a lot of my time and energy toward maintaining what the current administration has accomplished. I would like to hopefully bring some new ideas to improve the school in order for all of our children within the district to receive an excellent education.

Chaffee School District

Jamie Wessel Nix

Age: 28

Spouse: Shawn

Children: An 18-month-old son.

Education: Chaffee High School graduate in 1996, bachelor of science in physical therapy from Maryville University in St. Louis.

Occupation: Home health physical therapist for Southeast Missouri Hospital.

Memberships: First Baptist Church at Chaffee, and the American Physical Therapy Association.

Reason for running: If elected, I will be the third generation in my family to serve on the school board and Chaffee public schools in general. My grandfather was a longtime principal of the high school. My dad was a teacher and coach. Both of my parents served on the school board. I was born and raised here. I am not running to look out for my kid in the school district. I want to serve the community and the school where I was raised.

Mark Perkins

Age: 35

Spouse: Michelle

Children: Two sons, ages 12 and 8.

Education: Master's degree from Central Michigan University, bachelor's degree form Mayville State University in North Dakota.

Occupation: Information systems manager at BioKyowa Inc.

Memberships: Junior vice commander of the Chaffee VFW, secretary of Chaffee Youth League, volunteer baseball and track coach for the youth leagues, den leader of Cub Scout Pack 51, technology and citizens advisory boards for the school district, former president of the Parent Teacher Organization; 10 years in the Air Force

Reason for running: I want to be on the school board because I am the only candidate running who actually has children in the school system right now. I feel we need to bring the community and the school closer together. I would like to re-establish a parent-teacher organization. The old one fell apart.

Donna Cannon

Incumbent

Didn't respond to candidate survey.

Oran School District

Carla Graviett

Incumbent -- Seeking third term.

Age: 44

Spouse: Robert

Children: Two sons, 21 and 20, and two daughters, 17 and 15.

Education: Graduated from Oran school district.

Occupation: Part-time mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.

Membership: Guardian Angel Catholic Church in Oran.

Reason for running: We have a bond issue coming up in our election this year. I had a lot to do with getting it going. I would like to see completion of the building program. I support the bond issue.

Eric Michelsen

Age: 37

Spouse: Valerie

Children: A daughter, 17, and a son, 13.

Education: Graduated from Oran High School and Southeast Missouri State University with bachelor's degree in business administration.

Occupation: Claims representative for Farmers Insurance Group.

Membership: Gospel Chapel in rural Cape Girardeau.

Reason for running: I graduated from Oran High School. I have two kids in the school district and because of that I am very interested in the continued success and well being of the district. I would like to be part of the leadership and decision making process that affects the school district. I support the bond issue.

Marty Priggel

Age: 41

Spouse: Cindy

Children: Two sons, 16 and 13.

Education: Bachelor's degree from Murray State University in 1987, graduate of Oran High School.

Occupation: Operates a family farm.

Memberships: Guardian Angel Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus at Oran, served one term on Guardian Angel school board.

Reason for running: I have kids in the school system. I received a good education from this school. I am proud of this school. I think they are doing an outstanding job right now. I think it is important to take an active part in the education system they have here. We have excellent staff and excellent faculty. I support the bond issue.

Patrick Young

Age: 44

Spouse: Janice

Children: An adult daughter, a 12-year-old daughter and a son, 11.

Education: Bachelor of science degree from Southeast Missouri State University.

Occupation: Employed with Construction Trailers Specialists in Sikeston, manufacturer of 18-wheel truck trailers.

Memberships: Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau, Oran Parent-Teacher Organization, president of Oran Youth Basketball League, commissioner of Oran Youth Baseball League, Oran High School Booster Club.

Reason for running: There are three reasons why I am running for school board: heritage, experience and passion. First, I grew up in a family where education was very important. My mother has over 40 years' experience in classroom and administration and is finally retiring again. My father served on the county school board when I was younger. Secondly, I have had opportunity to allow my children to experience a wide variety of educational formats -- public, private and homeschooling. I feel this experience can offer a new and broader perspective to the board. Thirdly, I care about the kids. I still have kids in elementary and junior high schools. I feel I can be an advocate for a segment of the district that has historically had less representation on the board. I support the bond issue.

Perryville School District

Kevin Bachmann

Incumbent -- Seeking second term.

Age: 46

Spouse: JoAnn

Children: Three sons, 21, 20 and 15, and a daughter, 18.

Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Occupation: Farmer.

Membership: Zion Lutheran Church in Crosstown, Mo.

Reason for running: I have an interest in the school and the welfare of the school system.

Jim Bauwens

Age: 43

Incumbent -- Board member for seven years.

Spouse: Linda

Children: Two sons, 19 and 13, and a daughter, 16.

Education: Bachelor's degree in computer science and math from Central Missouri State University.

Occupation: Technical solution and project manager for AT&T.

Reason for running: It's just a rewarding job. When we started it was a district in quite a bit of financial trouble. We've seen it through and stabilized it, and want to keep going.

Jerry Fulton

Age: 43

Spouse: Mary

Children: A daughter, 15, and a son, 13.

Education: High school graduate.

Occupation: Owns Fulton Window and Siding, a construction company.

Memberships: Served on parks and recreation board for eight years, member of American Legion, St. Vincent De Paul Church in Perryville, Perryville Optimist Club, U.S. Army veteran.

Reason for running: I saw a need and felt like I should give back to the community that has done so much for us.

Keith Martin

Age: 40

Spouse: Beth

Children: Two daughters, 20 and 14, and a son, 12.

Education: Bachelor of Science in computer information systems from Columbia College, Columbia, Mo.

Occupation: Director of information technology for Master Card International in O'Fallon, Mo.

Memberships: Member of Christ the Savior parish in Brewer, Mo., and Knights of Columbus.

Reason for running: I'd like to see us prepare the kids for what the world presents today.

Meadow Heights School District

Dalton Denman

Age: 32

Spouse: Libby

Children: Two daughters, 2 and 2 weeks.

Education: Bachelor's degree in industrial technology management and agribusiness management from Southeast Missouri State University.

Occupation: Business unit manager for Siegel Robert Automotive in Farmington, Mo.

Membership: United Methodist Church in Sedgewickville.

Reason for running: I'm just wanting to be active in the community.

Stephen Garland

Age: Unavailable.

Spouse: Nancy

Children: Two sons, 13 and 12.

Occupation: Rubbermaid.

Memberships: Vice-president of the NBCAA Summer Youth Sport Program

Reason for running: I believe we have a terrific school district and I want to take a part in helping to ensure that it continues to improve in both the academic and athletic areas.

Terry Wagner

Incumbent -- Seeking second term.

Age: 40

Spouse: Teena

Children: Two sons, 18 and 16, and a daughter, 9.

Education: Graduate of Meadow Heights High School.

Occupation: Self-employed in excavation business.

Reason for running: We're trying to get a bond issue through to build a multipurpose building and redoing the kitchen and lunchroom, and I want to hang around and be part of that.

Bob Wilson

Incumbent -- Board member for one year.

Age: 69

Spouse: Shelley

Children: Four adult children, two adult stepchildren.

Education: Graduate of Southwest High School in St. Louis

Occupation: Works part time for Mokita Distributing providing technical work, and owns a farm.

Memberships: Christ Lutheran Church in Gordonville, elder and the chairman of building committee for church.

Reason for running: It's my goal to have Meadow Heights to do the best we can as far as education. I'm looking forward to having the school district continue to prosper and improve.

Marca Starkey-Overbey

No information available.

Woodland School District

Doug Faulkner

Incumbent -- Seeking second term.

Age: 42

Spouse: Andrea

Children: Two sons, 10 and 6.

Education: Associate degree in manufacturing technology from Ozarks Technical College in Springfield, Mo.

Occupation: Mechanical designer for Specialty Engineer in Dexter, Mo.

Membership: Harmony Church in Marble Hill, Mo.

Reason for running: I feel like we've got a real strong board right now. I'd like to continue to be a part of it.

Dale Long

Age: 39

Spouse: Elizabeth

Children: A son, 16, and a daughter, 14.

Occupation: Employed with Roark Wood Products

Education: Graduate of Woodland High School.

Reason for running: I'd like to get in there and do my part and see if I can make a difference.

Mark McCormick

Incumbent -- Seeking second term, board president for last two years.

Age: 45

Spouse: Sherry

Children: Two sons, 22 and 19, and a daughter, 18.

Education: Woodland High School.

Occupation: Insurance agent for Old American Insurance Company.

Memberships: United Methodist Church in Marble Hill, Mo., men's club at the church, Optimist Club member, and distinguished sales award member and presidents club with Old American Insurance.

Reason for running: I enjoy making Woodland a better school and want to continue the course for another three years.

Zalma School District

Steve Dickinson

Incumbent -- Seeking fifth term.

Age: 49

Spouse: Michellia

Children: A son, 22, and a daughter, 13.

Occupation: Self-employed, farmer/rancher.

Education: Zalma High School.

Memberships: Brush Creek Baptist Church in Zalma, on MFA Oil board for two years.

Reason for running: I want to continue what we've been doing in the past, and continue working on long term goals.

Dale Fish

Incumbent -- Board member for more than 16 years.

Age: 59

Spouse: Judy

Children: An adult son and daughter.

Occupation: Pastor of Zalma Mission Baptist Church.

Education: Bachelors of science in botany from Southeast Missouri State University.

Memberships: King Creek Baptist Association, Baptist Missionary Association of Missouri, Baptist Missionary Association of American.

Reason for running: I'm interested in the community and school and primarily willing to continue to serve as long as needed.

Aaron Lemons

Personal information: Unavailable.

Reason for running: I'm trying to make a change in the school. I think it's time for a change, and I think it'd be a good change.

Donnie Sitz

Age: 42

Spouse: Marla

Children: Three daughters, 19, 17 and 9.

Education: Graduate of Advance High School.

Occupation: Griffen Contracting.

Memberships: Zalma Masonic Lodge No. 545, Zalma Volunteer Fire Department, Brush Creek Baptist Church in Zalma and assistant coach for Zalma High School baseball team.

Reason: We just have a real good school district, and I would like to see it keep getting better.

Leopold School District

Jean Clubb

Incumbent -- Seeking second term.

Age: 44

Spouse: Bob

Children: A son, 17.

Education: Graduate of Leopold High School.

Occupation: Office manager for Crosstrails Medical Center.

Memberships: St. John's Church in Leopold, church choir.

Reason for running: I just want to make sure the kids have the best education possible to prepare them for their future goals.

Sheila Irvin

Incumbent -- Seeking second term.

Age: 42

Spouse: Jeff

Children: Two daughters, 17 and 14.

Education: Court reporting degree from St. Louis Community College.

Occupation: Court reporter for Circuit Judge William Syler.

Memberships: Missouri Court Reporter Association, and St. John's Church in Leopold.

Reason for running: I found being on the board a very interesting learning experience. It feels good to give back to the school.

Danny James

Age: 33

Spouse: Joanne

Children: Two sons, 5 and 11; a daughter, 10.

Education: Graduate of Oak Ridge High School.

Occupation: Midwest Sterilization in Jackson.

Memberships: Licensed pastor for Old Union and Scopus United Methodist churches.

Reason for running: I would love to get the opportunity to serve our local community and utilize our talent and strength we have to further our school district.

Cori Stoverink

Age: 43

Spouse: Edger

Children: Two sons, 24 and 11, and four daughters, 28, 21, 19 and 18.

Education: G.E.D.

Occupation: Owner of Leopold Country Store.

Memberships: St. John's Church in Leopold, town water board, participates in Knights of Columbus events.

Reason for running: I thought it'd be neat to be involved. I like the community and schools, and thought it'd be an experience.

~-- Compiled by Southeast Missourian reporters Mark Bliss and Kyle Morrison.