Willard school board appoints pastor to fill vacancy

provided by Willard Public Schools

Chad Mathes, pastor at Springfield’s Red Tree Church, was appointed to serve on the Willard school board. He will join in mid-April.

The six members of the Willard Public Schools Board of Education voted Feb. 3 to appoint Chad Mathes to fill an empty seat on the governing body.

Mathes, lead pastor and co-founder of Springfield’s Red Tree Church, was approved to replace Wes Burrell, who recently resigned. He will be sworn in mid-April.

Burrell was elected in April 2023 and stepped down Jan. 15 after moving out of the Willard district. He did not plan to run for a second term.

“Serving this community has truly been an honor,” Burrell wrote in a resignation letter. “Willard’s support for its schools and its kids is something special and I’ve been grateful to be part of it.”

Mathes, who planned to run for a seat, will be the only new member joining the board this year. Mathes and his wife moved to Willard four years ago and have two children in the district.

“The educators and administrators have done a fantastic job to where we are now,” he said in a Feb. 4 interview. “I want to bring my leadership and experience to help us stay focused on the direction we are going.”

In addition to Burrell, terms for board members Sutton Berry and Jason Dixon were also set to expire in April.

Berry and Dixon sought another term, and since Mathes is taking Burrell’s spot – and no other candidates stepped forward – an election is not required April 7, according to board policy.

Berry, Dixon and Mathes will be sworn in mid-April to serve three-year terms.

Berry, core manager for John Deer Reman, was first elected in 2023 and Dixon, who works for a railway freight service, was first elected in 2020.

The other board members are Amanda Gooch, Amanda Kastler, David Menditto and Matthew Young. With Mathes, the board will comprise seven members.