Editor's note: This story originally did not include a candidate's responses. The story has been updated to include the responses.
In Tuesday's election, five are running for three open positions on the South Callaway Board of Education.
Aaron Dickinson
Aaron Dickinson is 41 years old. He has been married to Nichole Dickinson, librarian for South Callaway Early Childhood Center, for 20 years. They have three children who all attend South Callaway: Kyle is in 12th grade, Katlyn is in 7th grade and Kennedy is in 5th grade.
Dickinson works as the manager at a local uniform company.
He is serving his second term as the president of South Callaway Booster Club. He has been the president for three years.
"Throughout my professional and personal life, I have been fortunate to serve in many leadership/advisory roles. This experience has prepared me to represent our school district," Dickinson said in a statement.
He said the greatest strength of the South Callaway district is the staff and students. He said the teachers, administrators and support staff all "have the best interest of our students and district in mind."
One opportunity he thinks the district has is with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education annual performance report. South Callaway scored 78.6 percent, which Dickinson said is the highest score among all schools in the county. He said there are some areas that other schools outperformed South Callaway, and he would like those areas to be worked on.
Dickinson said one concern he had for the district was keeping the staff employed, as he said it is getting more and more challenging to retain positions in the district. He added he wants to offer competitive wages, benefits and resources to South Callaway staff.
Wendy Akers
Wendy Akers is 61 years old, and has been married for 28 years. They have three daughters, all of whom graduated from the South Callaway district.
She works part-time at Remade for a Purpose, and is a retired counselor from a treatment center.
Akers has a Bachelors of science in education, and has taught GED classes for a few years. Working with the Department of Corrections as a supervisor of a special needs united allowed her to gain administrative knowledge.
"I feel those years provided me with wide ranges of perspectives so that I can make well balanced decisions," Akers said in a statement.
She said the greatest strength of the district is that it represents the "wholesome, traditional values of a rural school."
Akers said the greatest opportunities for the district is that it offers every student the attention that is needed for them to succeed and that teachers can make a difference because of the rural school atmosphere.
She said one challenge is that the culture is very different from other parts of the state.
"The culture of the community is so different from big cities and other parts of the state and country, that big government regulations do not necessarily align with the needs of this rural community," Akers said in a statement.
Penny Felkner
Penny Felkner is married to Gary Felkner, and they have four children who graduated from South Callaway. They also have 7 grandchildren, three of which are attending schools in South Callaway.
Felkner works as a database administrator for the University of Missouri.
She has worked in information technology for 30 years, and has a Bachelors degree in accounting. Felkner said this helps her understand budgets and the many uses of technology in the field of education.
She has been on the board of education for six years. She said she enjoys working with administration and other board members.
"I love hearing from teachers, staff, and members of the community," Felkner said in a statement.
She said the greatest strength of the district is the teachers, staff and leadership.
Felkner said she is concerned with the teacher and staff shortage, as well as the amount of open teacher and staff positions.
"The teacher and staff shortage is impacting the state and country," she said. "South Callaway is now seeing that impact."
Justin Lauf
Justin Lauf is 39 years old, and is married with three children that either attend or will attend South Callaway schools.
He works as an occupational therapist.
Lauf has served on the St. Jude Parish Council as vice president for four years. During this time, the group was able to begin the renovation of the church.
He also serves as a leader in South Callaway's youth wrestling program.
He said he has met many wonderful and supportive parents, and that they are the greatest strength of the district.
"The family support South Callaway Kids receive is the greatest strength, these parents are very dedicated to their kids futures and well being," Lauf said in a release.
One opportunity he sees for the district is to maintain the culture and values of the community.
He said one challenge will be to recruit and retain "quality staff."
"We, as a community, should want our students to get the best education from the most qualified/passionate individuals available," Lauf said in a release.
Delbert Finney
Dell Finney is 52 years old, as is married with children currently in the South Callaway district. They also have a daughter who graduated from the district.
Finney and his wife own Cal-Air Mechanical, a heating, cooling and plumbing business in Fulton.
He said his experience of owning and managing a small business will be useful as a member of the board of education. While owning Cal-Air Mechanical, he also has experience dealing with conflict and resolution situations and speaking with the public and community members.
Finney said the greatest strength of the district is conservative family values.
"I feel like our district has teacher(s) that truly care for our children and see it as more than just a job," Finney said in a statement.
He said the greatest opportunity for the district is potential growth, as he thinks there could be many positive improvements made in the future for staff and students.
Finney said one challenge will be keeping conservative values "during the challenging and changing times in the world." He also said it will be a challenge to give children the education they deserve while keeping unnecessary distractions out of classrooms.
Polls will open on Tuesday at 6 a.m., and will remain open until 7 p.m.
Submitted photo Penny Felkner
Submitted photo Justin Lauf
Submitted photo Delbert Finney
Submitted photo Wendy Akers