Three contend for two seats on SoCal board

Three candidates have filed for two available positions for the Board of Education at the South Callaway R-2 School District at Mokane.

Two current school board members seeking re-election are President Erin Rogers Howard and Ryan Arrowood. Also filing is Greg Kimminau.

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Alan Martine and Zack Johnson hang out in the Captain's Quarters.

Howard is a 1989 graduate of South Callaway High School. She has a Bachelor of Science and Business Administration degree from Columbia College.

She is married to Tom Howard and they have a son, Taylor, who is a sophomore at South Callaway High School.

For the last 22 years, Howard has been employed in hospital financial services. Howard has served two three-year terms on the school board.

Howard said in dealing with decreased school funding from state and federal sources, her experience in hospital financial services has been helpful because hospitals are also receiving less money from state and federal sources.

"We have to learn to do more with less. That can be a challenge but we must plan ahead in order to accomplish this," Howard said.

She said the South Callaway School District has its own fleet of school buses and does not contract for bus services with a private company as many other districts do. "As the price of fuel rises, it is becoming an even greater challenge because the South Callaway School District covers such a large area," Howard said.

Howard said the district also has been making improvements to existing buildings that need to be made in order to provide proper maintenance.

"In my view, the status quo is not good enough. We have done a lot of good but we can do better," Howard said.

Arrowood is a 1991 graduate of South Callaway High School.

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Pam Gazette, John Ristaino and Jamie Goebel

Arrowood and his wife Teresa are the parents of two daughters, Konnor, 12, and Reagan, 5. Both attend South Callaway Schools.

Arrowood has served one three-year term as a member of the South Callaway District Board of Education.

"I believe in that period I have served, the administration and the board have always acted in a manner best for the students in the district," Arrowood said.

Arrowood said the board faces challenging economic times because of decreased revenue to fund schools. "We have to watch spending closely to make sure our children have the resources they need," Arrowood said.

"This school district has been a big part of my life and my family's life," Arrowood said.

Kimminau works at the Callaway Energy Center for Ameren Missouri as a training instructor for employees seeking to be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to operate a nuclear reactor.

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Gabrielle, Shannon and Greg Burchfield

Kimminau said he has lived in the South Callaway School District for the last 14 years.

He is a 1984 graduate of St. Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington, Mo.

Kimminau served in the Navy for eight years. He has an Associate of Science degree from Bellville, Ill., Area College and attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Ill.

"My wife and I have four children. All of our children have attended or are now attending school at South Callaway," Kimminau said.

He said he filed for the office because he wants to make sure that all students in the district receive the best possible education within limited resources. "I want to take every opportunity to make sure the district receives the most for the money," Kimminau said.

"Since I filed for office I have learned that in many cases the district has not been performing proper maintenance to make buildings and property last longer. Things aren't fixed until they break and then the expense is higher to replace it," Kimminau said.