Eight candidates, including the three incumbents, will run for three open seats on the Springfield Board of Education. Board member Maryam Mohammadkhani and newcomer Charity Jordan Rex have joined the race for the April 2 election.
The filing period closed at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 26. The candidates, in ballot order, are:
• Danielle Kincaid, current president of the board. First elected in 2021, she is a partner with the Elder Law Group.
• Landon McCarter. A co-founder of Secure Agent Marketing, he was a candidate in the ‘23 election for school board.
• Susan Provance, a retired teacher and basketball, volleyball and softball coach at Parkview High School.
• Scott Crise, current board vice-president. First elected in 2021, he is manager of gas plant operations for Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc.
• Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, an associate professor of sociology at Missouri State University.
• Chad Rollins. A pharmacist and fitness enthusiast, he was a candidate in the ‘23 election for school board.
• Charity Jordan Rex, She is a prevention and education coordinator for Harmony House.
• Maryam Mohammadkhani, board member. First elected in 2021, she is a retired pathologist who trained and practiced with Harvard Medical School until joining CoxHealth in 2001.
A candidate must be a registered voter who has lived within the Springfield Public Schools district for at least a year, be 24 years of age or older, and submit a petition with the signatures of at least 500 registered voters who support their candidacy.
The race is expected to be high profile. The ‘23 election, which resulted in the election of board members Judy Brunner and Shurita Thomas-Tate over McCarter and Rollins, drew more than $210,000 in fundraising for the four candidates, as well as more than $102,000 for political action committees involved in the race.
In response to increased attention from national and state partisan groups on local, non-partisan boards and offices, a political action committee named United Springfield has formed, and plans to offer support to candidates who protect community partnerships that focus on civil discourse and common ground.
