Missouri's largest school district will have two fresh faces on its governing board after voters Tuesday decided on candidates Kelly Byrne and Steve Makoski to fill the seats up for grabs.
Byrne is a real estate investor and developer, and Makoski is a businessman and U.S. Navy veteran. By clinching the top two vote totals Tuesday, they ousted the only incumbent seeking reelection, Charles Taylor, who came in third.
With 100% of voter precincts (56 of 56) reporting, the vote tallies were reported on the Greene County Clerk's website as follows:
Charles Taylor: 22.12%
Steve Makoski: 25.05%
Chad T. Courtney: 4.89%
Brandi VanAntwerp: 21.30%
Kelly Byrne: 26.54%
Write-in Totals: 0.10%
Last month, KSMU Radio broadcast a series of school board candidate interviews organized by a coalition of nonpartisan groups in Greene County. You can watch the YouTube video of those coalition interviews by clicking here.
Board member criteria, terms
School board members are required to reside in the school district. They must also have lived in Missouri for one year at the time of election. Members serve three year terms, and their authority is determined by state law.
Typically, the Springfield R-12 school board meets twice a month at the Kraft Administrative Center, located at 1359 E. St. Louis Street.
According to the district's website, all school board meetings are live streamed via the district's YouTube channel.