In a contentious school board race that featured hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign and political action committee spending, Springfield voters elected three women to serve three-year terms on the Springfield Board of Public Education, working as unpaid volunteers to oversee Missouri's largest public school district. Their job includes approving the district yearly budget and oversight of district policy, and the hiring and discipline of the district superintendent.
Newcomer Susan Provance is a Glendale High School alum who worked for roughly three decades at Parkview High School as a teacher and coach. With 18.03 percent of the vote — some 13,802 ballots cast — Provance received the highest vote total, according to unofficial results released by the Greene County Clerk's office Tuesday night.
Reached by phone shortly after all precincts were counted, Provance told Ozarks Public Radio she was "overwhelmed" by the community's support and felt a sense of responsibility going forward. "It is our responsibility to provide the best education, the best experiences, activities that we can provide for our students," Provance said.
Asked how she would work with a sometimes-fractious school board, Provance said, "Everyone brings their own unique personality to the board, and I think what I can bring to the board — besides my lifelong activity involved with sports and students — is teamwork."
Springfield attorney Danielle Kincaid, an incumbent serving as president of the school board, received 16.89 percent of the vote, 12,255 ballots. She was first elected in 2021.
Also re-elected was Dr. Maryam Mohammadkhani, with 15.58 percent of the vote, i.e., 11,306 ballots cast by Springfield school district voters. She was first elected in 2021.
Newly elected board members are expected to be sworn in April 9. They'll join currently serving board members Judy Brunner, Kelly Byrne, Steve Makoski and Shurita Thomas-Tate.
Four other candidates also ran for Springfield school board
Local business owner Landon McCarter first ran for the board in 2023. He came within roughly half a percentage-point of being elected at that time, but was narrowly defeated by Shurita Thomas-Tate. McCarter's second run for the board turned out similarly, as he came within less than half of a percentage-point from Mohammadkhani's total. McCarter recieved 15.14 percent of the vote, or 10,986 ballots.
The gap between McCarter's total and that of area pharmacist Chad Rollins was even smaller. Rollins earned 14.79 percent of the vote, or 10,730 ballots.
Gas plant manager Scott Crise, an incumbent, was defeated with 9.9 percent of the vote, or 7,181 ballots.
Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, a Springfield sociology professor running for the first time, received 9.54 percent of the vote, or 6,923 ballots.
Charter changes approved
Springfield voters also faced two ballot questions, both of which appeared to pass by clear margins, according to Tuesday night's unofficial results.
Each question modifies the Springfield city charter — the set of basic rules for city government functions.
Question 1 would adopt a code of ethics for elected and appointed leaders along with city employees. City employees could undergo a disciplinary review if an ethics issue is found, rather than be automatically let go from their positions. The city council would have to review the code every year. It passed with 76.49 percent of the vote, or 11,184 ballots.
Question 2 changes the Springfield mayor’s term in office. It’s currently a two-year term, but with the approval of Question 2 by voters, it will become a four-year term in 2025 after the current mayor exits office. The Springfield mayor will remain limited to 8 years in office. Question 2 passed with 53.48 percent of the vote, or 8,455 ballots.
Turnout on April 2 was at least 13 percent of Greene County voters, according to data released by the county clerk's office around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The 2023 general municipal election — which included the Springfield school board, city council and mayoral races — saw higher turnout, at 17.65 percent of county voters.
In recent municipal election cycles, the total number of registered voters in Greene County has ranged from roughly 170,000 to 198,000 voters, according to clerk's office data reviewed by KSMU.
