Five candidates are seeking three seats on the Mehlville Board of Education in the Tuesday, April 8, election.

The five are current board Secretary Rich Franz, Randy L. Howard, Venki Palamand, Jean Pretto and Samantha Stormer.

Incumbent board President Mark Stoner and board member Elaine Powers are not seeking re-election.

Franz, 56, 4937 Lockbriar Court, 63128, works in corporate security for Monsanto. He and his wife, Karen, have two grown children.

Franz, who was elected to the Board of Education in 2011, said he is seeking a second term “because I believe we still have work to do in focusing educational excellence in the classroom; restoring the community’s confidence in the school board; and bringing an attitude of fiscal restraint and respect for the taxpayers to the district’s financial decision-making.”

Howard, 59, 3838 Tahquitz Drive, 63125, is a consultant and insurance agent. He and his wife, Sharon, have four grown children.

Howard, who has not held elective office, did not give a reason why he is seeking election to the school board.

Palamand, 46, 5385 Royal Hills Drive, 63129, is an engineer/small-businessman at Martak Machine.

Palamand served two terms on the Board of Education from 2007 to 2013 and was board president for two years. He said he is running for office “to strive to make Mehlville a destination school district.”

Pretto, 63, 114 W. Pottle Ave., 63219, is a private piano teacher. She and her husband, Joe, have two grown children.

Pretto, who has not held elective office, said she is seeking election because of “civic duty and genuine concern for our school district.”

Stormer, 37, 7924 Silver Pine Drive, 63129, is business development manager for Express Medical Transporters. She and her husband, Sean, have three children ranging in age from 14 to 2.

Stormer, who has not held elective office, said she is seeking election because “I believe that every child is entitled to re-ceive a high-quality education, and that a board of education should support classroom teachers and provide the necessary learning materials to assist them in their efforts.”