Four vie for three seats on Springfield school board

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Springfield voters will April 8 elect three school board members to three-year terms. |ret||ret||tab|

Three out of four candidates running are incumbents; the new face on the ballot is Kristen Callen.|ret||ret||tab|

"I am running to give the community a choice, because I think a board that is elected by the people in a contested race has more credibility and has the mandate to make the tough decisions that need to be made," Callen said.|ret||ret||tab|

She said she has a good understanding of the challenges facing the school, and she has experience living on both the north and south sides of town.|ret||ret||tab|

Financial constraints are a district-wide problem that should be dealt with equitably.|ret||ret||tab|

"Programs are going to have to share equally administrative and staffing cuts," Callen said, adding that cuts need to be proportionate to how much of the total budget the programs consume. |ret||ret||tab|

Callen has a bachelor's degree in management from Michigan State University and was previously employed in health care. |ret||ret||tab|

Now, she is a stay-at-home parent and a community volunteer who is in the schools on a daily basis.|ret||ret||tab|

Up for re-election is current school board President Jerry Harmison. |ret||ret||tab|

He has served on the board for three years and wants to continue to be part of the system.|ret||ret||tab|

Harmision said he feels the board has "improved communication, financial accountability and credibility. I want to continue to work with this group so that the momentum continues," Harmison said.|ret||ret||tab|

Harmison said continuing with the zero-based budgeting approach is important for the district's future. He said increased taxes is one way to deal with the budget crisis, but the most important thing to do is to gain more support for local schools.|ret||ret||tab|

Harmison is an attorney at Lathrop & Gage with a focus on employment law. |ret||ret||tab|

Current board Vice President Bruce Chrisope said he is running again because he wants to continue to be part of a board that is working together. |ret||ret||tab|

Chrisope said serving on the board is a way to really make a difference, and even with many upcoming challenges, he wants to help.|ret||ret||tab|

Chrisope said the most important issue right now is the $30 million bond issue. After the election the school will face challenges dealing with the operating budget. He said talking honestly about issues is key.|ret||ret||tab|

"Pretending we don't have a problem is not a good solution. We have to effectively cut back some areas and make sure the public understands."|ret||ret||tab|

Chrisope has served on the board for 2 1/2 years. He is a financial consultant with Salomon Smith Barney.|ret||ret||tab|

Bruce Renner said his experience in education and a nine-year history with the board encouraged him to seek re-election.|ret||ret||tab|

"I felt it was important for me to offer the public, again, the chance for me to be there during these tougher times, as we are going to have to make decisions that nobody's going to really enjoy doing," Renner said.|ret||ret||tab|

He added that during tough times, expertise is needed. Renner has been in education for 37 years and has lived in Springfield for about 40. He said when it comes to cutting programs to save money, the people need to be part of the decision-making process and understand what it means to the city.|ret||ret||tab|

"When you start eliminating these programs, then you're creating some other issues that we have made some progress with, such as drop-out rates and achievement going up. Different things motivate different kids," Renner said. "It is going to have an effect on us, and then eventually young families will look at Springfield and say, I don't want to go there.'"|ret||ret||tab|

Renner said a good school system is a partner with businesses in the community and if people don't want to be in Springfield, it will affect everyone.|ret||ret||tab|

Renner is coordinator of the master of arts teaching program at Southwest Missouri State University.|ret||ret||tab|

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