SIKESTON -- School board races for the upcoming election are set in some districts while others already know who will start their new terms in April.
School board candidacy filing for the April 3 election officially ended at 5 p.m. Jan. 16.
In the Sikeston R-6 School District, board members' whose three-year terms expire in April are Matt Tanner and Heather Drury. Filing for those positions were Tanner and Glen Cantrell. And since the number of candidates equals the number of positions available an election will not be needed in April.
Voters in the Scott County Central School District will have decisions to make when they step up to the polls in April.
Scott Central Board of Education seats held by Dee Cookson and Clay Graviett will end in April. Voters will choose between Cookson, Graviett and Kevin Burchard for those two positions.
SCC voters will also decide whether to approve "Proposition FACTS: Facilities, Academics, Classrooms, Technology, Students."
Voters will be asked if the Board of Education be authorized to increase the operating tax levy ceiling to $4.6093 per $100 of assessed valuation in order to replace and offset state funding reductions, continue existing programs, retain qualified staff, maintain its facilities and meet the operating expenses of the district.
If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating levy of the school district is estimated to increase by 95 cents from $3.6593, currently, to $4.6093 per $100 of assessed valuation for the 2018 tax year and could be applied to the assessed valuation for each year thereafter.
In the Scott County R-4 "Kelly" School District, school board members whose terms expire in April are David Collier and Michael Bolen. Filing for candidacy were Collier, Gail Riley, Amanda Ruff and Jim Umfress.
Voters in the East Prairie R-2 School District will also choose two of the following three candidates for its school board: Dana Ellis, Andrew Ambrose and Tera Refering Johnson. Board of Education members whose three-year terms are expiring in April are Steve Ellis and Eric McGruder.
Like Sikeston R-6, elections also won't be necessary for several other districts.
In the New Madrid County R-1 School District, three-year terms held by Ralph Barnwell Jr. and Demetrius "Dee" Moore end in April. Filing were Barnwell and Moore.
Two positions will be available on the Charleston R-1 School Board in April. Positions held by Hamil Corse and Brent Peters, who recently resigned from the board, expire in April. Corse and Portia Zellars filed to fill the two terms.
Portageville school board members Ronnie G. Adams and Ronnie K. Adams were the only candidates to file for their three-year terms which also end in April.
Oran R-3 Board of Education members Carla Graviett and Patrick Young will also rejoin the board as they were the only candidates to file in their district.
According to the Missouri School Boards' Association, there are relatively few qualifications to run for the local school board in most school districts in the state.
Candidates had to have been a citizen of the United States, a resident taxpayer of the district, a resident of Missouri within one year and at least 24 years old.
Successfully elected board members are also required to complete 16 hours of orientation and training within one year of their election, according to MSBA.