SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Kelly Byrne and Steve Makoski have been elected to serve on Springfield Public School’s school board.

Their terms will be for three years.

There were five candidates on the ballot in Springfield.

Kelly Byrne and Brandi VanAntwerp attended Springfield Schools and were on the ballot in 2021 but did not win. This was the first time running for Chad Courtney and Steve Makoski. Charles Taylor was the only candidate seeking reelection.

Kelly Byrne said in an interview with OzarksFirst he wants to address the teacher shortage and find ways for board members to be more involved in the classroom, and he said he wants to see more oversight of the superintendent.

Steve Makoski said recent academic decline is concerning to him and he wants to address that issue within the district. He also told OzarksFirst he wants to see board members have more access to classrooms so they can make better decisions for students.