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Filing were Bob Stoneburner, Tami Reutzel Stanger, Sandy L. Spanier, Allen P. Schmidt, Steve Olson, Don Kelm, Gary D. Heineman, Deb Glenz, and Mark Dingmann.

Filings closed on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6, from noon to 8 p.m. in the west lobby of Paynesville Area Elementary School at 217 Mill Street West.

This election marks the second time that the school district has held an election in the fall. The four successful candidates will be given four-year terms on the board.

The terms of board incumbents Dan Andersen, Deb Glenz, Fern Roberg, and Bob See expire this year. Of the four, only Glenz - who currently serves as the board's vice chair - has filed for another term.

For the second consecutive school board election, a majority of board seats will be up for election. In 1999, five places on the board were filled, including two-year terms by See and Andersen.

Voters in November will be asked to vote for up to four candidates. Voters will also have the opportunity to write in other names.

The terms of the three remaining school board members -ÊMaurice Dosdall, chairman Pat Flanders, and Gretchen O'Fallon - will be up for election in 2003.

Candidates must be eligible voters, 21 years of age, and residents of the school district for 30 days prior to the election. Fee for filing was $2.

Filing for the board were:

*Mark Dingmann, 680 Spruce Street - Dingmann, 38, is the director of radiology at the Paynesville Area Health Care System. He and his wife, Kathryn, have three kids: Zachary, a second grader; Nicholas, 5; and Katelyn, 3.
Dingmann is running because he wants to participate in his children's education, because he thinks great leadership will be needed as the school district deals with the financial crisis over the next 10 years, and because he feels he has the experience needed from running a multi-million-dollar hospital department.

*Deb Glenz, 28487 Highway 55 - Glenz, 42, has served on the school board since 1994, currently as vice chair. She is the owner and operator of the daycare Kinderhaus. She and her husband, Michael, have four kids: Michelle and Julie, PAHS graduates who now attend Mankato State University; Ryan, an 11th grader; and Sean, an eighth grader.
Deb's motivation for seeking a third term on the board is to see her work finished, including the addition of a fitness center and auditorium, and to maintain the curriculum in the face of declining enrollment and dwindling finances.

*Gary D. Heineman, 726 Stearns Avenue - Heineman, 61, served as the principal at Paynesville Area Elementary School for 27 years, from June 1972 to July 1999, and currently works as the principal of Sts. Peter, Paul, and Michael Middle School in St. Cloud. He and his wife, Jeanne, have had five daughters graduate from PAHS - Kim, Wendi, Mary, Jeni, and Jodi - and Tom Krupke, who lived with the family during high school.
Heineman says his continued, keen interest in the activities of the young people in the school district have prompted him to run for the school board.

*Don Kelm, 56076 395th Street - Kelm, 43, farms in rural Paynesville and owns and operates Kelm Shoe Repair. He and his wife, Irma, have two children: Donald, an 11th grader, and Jody, an eighth grader.
His motivation for running for the school board is to bring his business sense to deal with the district's financial problems - the time for satisfying everyone has passed - and to address internal problems at the school.

*Steve Olson, Hawick - Olson, 27, is a 1993 graduate of PAHS who is a recreational vehicle service technician at Ted's RV Land. He is single.
Having served on student councils in high school and college and on the district's curriculum advisory board, he sees serving on the school board as an opportunity to continue to be involved with the school district.

*Allen P. Schmidt, 18750 190th Street NE - Schmidt, 40, is a 1979 PAHS graduate who supervises the live hauling department at Jennie-O Turkey Store. He and his wife, Lori, have four daughters: Sarah, a ninth grader: Rachel, a seventh grader; Nicole, a fifth grader; and Megan, a second grader.
Having a daughter in each school building, Schmidt wants to be involved in their education, to have direct involvement in what all the kids are learning, and wants to participate in the community by serving on the school board.

*Sandy L. Spanier, 30268 240th Street - Spanier, 39, works as a school bus driver. Her husband is Randy and her four boys are Josh Schreifels, a 12th grader; Peter Schreifels, a 10th grader; Cory Spanier, a sixth grader; and Clay Spanier, a kindergartner.
Spanier thinks her experience as a school aide, as a bus driver, and as a parent helps her to understand and accommodate the needs of the students, and she plans to be a voice for the students.

*Tami Reutzel Stanger, 28747 Koronis Drive - Stanger, 32, is a 1987 PAHS graduate who currently works as a medical technologist at the Paynesville Area Health Care System. She and her husband, Dean, have three kids: Trey, a second grader; Allie, 4; and Gavin, 2.
Tami's motivation for running for the board is to look at options beyond budget cuts during the district's financial crisis and to ensure quality education for her kids and for all the students in the district.

*Bob Stoneburner, 30505 Blue Ridge Road - Stoneburner, 50, is an attorney with a law practice in town. He and his wife, Jane, have four kids: Ryan and Lynn, PAHS graduates who are now a senior and junior at college; Laura, an 11th grader; and Tom, an eighth grader.
His motivation comes from a desire to improve the school system as much as possible while addressing the district's financial problems, to retain quality teachers, and to be involved with the district while he still has kids in school.