Races are set for April 7 school board elections

SIKESTON -- Races for the April 7 school board elections were set Tuesday as filing closed locally.

In the Sikeston R-6 School District, voters will choose two of four candidates when they step up to the polls in April. Filing were Heather Drury, Jay Elliott, Matt Tanner and incumbent Chris Hodgkiss. Opting not to seek re-election was current board vice president David Jones. The terms are for three years.

The New Madrid County R-1 School District has two three-year terms for voters to fill. Filing were incumbents incumbents Jonathan Maloyed and Ralph Barnwell Jr. as well as Demetrius Moore and Scott Riley.

The R-1 district also had a one-year term after Ryan Eddy was recently appointed to finish the second year of the three-year term, which ends in April 2016. Eddy was the only candidate to file so no election is needed for this position.

In the Scott County R-4 "Kelly" School District in Benton, three-year terms held by members David Collier and Mark Householder will expire in April. Filing for those positions were Collier, Marshall Meeks and Michael Bolen. Voters will choose two of the three candidates.

In the Charleston R-1 School District, board members whose three-year terms expire are Shane Stewart and Glenn Fennell Sr. Voters will choose two of the following four candidates to fill the positions this April: Brent Peters, Fennell, Floyd Wade Sr. and Margaret Rowe.

Some school districts received the same number of filings as they had positions available so an election won't be needed in April. Among those school districts were Scott County Central, East Prairie R-2, Portageville and Oran R-3.

The two Scott County Central board members whose terms will expire in April are Steve Pobst and Dee Cookson, and they were the only two candidates to file.

Filing for the two positions in the East Prairie R-2 School District were incumbents Steve Ellis and Eric McGruder.

Neither of Portageville's Board of Education members whose terms expire in April -- Derek Samples and Donney Benthal -- sought re-election. Filing for -- and filling --those three-year terms are Ronnie Adams Jr. and Ronnie Adams Sr.

Incumbent Carla Graviett and Patrick Young were the two people to file for the two three-year terms on the Oran R-3 Board of Education. Current board member Marty Priggel opted not to seek re-election.