Major endorsements are coming soon in Springfield school board race. Here's a timeline

The first wave of major endorsements in the Springfield school board race is imminent.

Endorsements are expected quickly from the Springfield National Education Association, Teamsters Union Local No. 245 — groups that have long endorsed school board candidates — and United Springfield, a newly formed political action committee aimed at preserving the nonpartisan requirement of certain local races.

The local chapter of Missouri State Teachers Association also plans to endorse but the decision will not be made until late February or early March.

Seven candidates will be on the April 2 ballot, including Scott Crise, Danielle Kincaid, Landon McCarter, Maryam Mohammadkhani, Susan Provance, Chad Rollins, and Kyler Sherman-Wilkins.

The three candidates with the most votes will be sworn in mid-April and join a board with existing members Judy Brunner, Kelly Byrne, Steve Makoski, and Shurita Thomas-Tate. Together, the new board will set policy, approve an annual budget, and hire and evaluate the superintendent.

Teamsters Local No. 245

Teamsters Union Local No. 245, which has long represented school bus drivers and bus aides at the bargaining table, is expected to announce its picks in the coming days.

President Jeremy Manley said questionnaires with labor-specific questions were sent to the candidates and in-person interviews, delayed due to weather, are expected to wrap up this week.

He said the group's endorsement of up to three candidates will be announced by Monday, at the latest.

"We hope to endorse up to three," Manley said. The union typically donates $500 to each endorsed candidate.

Springfield NEA

Springfield NEA president Laura Mullins said all candidates plan to fill out questionnaires and participate in the in-person interviews, which start Saturday. They may continue next week.

The city's largest teacher union — which also represents classroom and school support staff — revamped its process this year.

For example, a diverse interview committee with a range of employees from elementary, middle and high schools will include eight voting members plus Mullins, who will only vote if there is a tie.

Mullins said the changes were made to "get a better representation of our membership."

Representing the Springfield NEA, Mullins has repeatedly spoken at school board meeting to raise concerns, mostly about the impact of student behavior issues on employees and the learning environment. She has also expressed frustration about the level of communication and cooperation between the teachers union and the administration of Superintendent Grenita Lathan.

In late December, the Springfield NEA staged a protest just before the Dec. 19 school board meeting to demand the district take steps to improve school safety and student discipline. Community members joined in as well as several board candidates.

More: SPS board members, principals respond to student discipline concerns after Tuesday protest

The interview committee will present its recommendations to the executive committee of the Springfield NEA at a Feb. 1 meeting. The endorsement of up to three candidates is expected to follow that meeting.

Mullins said the candidates' competed questionnaires and videos of their in-person interviews will be provided to all Springfield NEA members.

"It is important for them to know where the candidates stand on the issues," she said.

United Springfield

The new United Springfield PAC, co-chaired by Terri McQueary and Jim Anderson, was formed to support candidates in upcoming school board and city council races that are required by state law to be nonpartisan.

Alina Lehnert, who is part of the steering committee, said the endorsement process started by emailing a list of 10 questions to each candidate. They were due last week.

"All candidates turned in questionnaires," she said.

The candidate interviews were scheduled for Jan. 19 and, if needed, will continue Jan. 26. They will interview with a subcommittee of the steering committee.

Lehnert, former president of the Springfield school board, is not participating in the endorsement process because she served with three incumbents who are running.

More: United Springfield, PAC focused on nonpartisan elections, has raised $93K in first report

The feedback of the subcommittee will be provided to the entire steering committee. A date has not been set for that meeting but Lehnert said the goal is to start that discussion by the end of January.

Springfield MSTA

The Springfield chapter of MSTA, a teacher union, will endorse candidates again this year. The decision to weigh in is made annually depending on what is at stake.

Jeffrey Pettibone, vice president of the local MSTA, said surveys were sent to candidates and are due by Feb. 19. He said no decision has been made about whether to also seek interviews.

"We only endorse when we feel that (candidates) meet the needs of our teachers," Pettibone said Thursday. "If no endorsement it is either they didn't respond to the survey, so we have nothing to go off of, or they didn't meet the needs of our teachers."

The earliest the local MSTA chapter will issue endorsements is late February or early March.

Pettibone said the survey includes standard questions about candidates' priorities, plans for communicating with district employees and stakeholders, and willingness to collaborate with teacher groups.

He said the top question this year centers on the challenges teachers have faced with student behavior. Candidates will be asked if they support the current discipline policy or see a need for changes.

"That is the big one with the issues we've had this year," he said.

Other individual, group endorsements

As the campaign progresses, candidates often list individual and group endorsements — including those from local leaders and state lawmakers and other political action committees — on their websites and social media platforms.

The Back on Track America PAC, a conservative group, issued early endorsements for incumbent Mohammadkhani along with McCarter and Rollins.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Major endorsements coming soon in Springfield school board race