NORTH LIMA- On Nov. 3, residents will chose between four candidates to fill three seats on the South Range Local school board.

4Incumbent Delaine DeChellis, the board's current president, has served one term. She has a nursing background and is currently a bookkeeper for Donald A. DeChellis DDS Inc.

In addition to her position on the school board, DeChellis is a member of the Bethel Lutheran Church, the South Range Wellness Committee and the church women's organization WELCA, for which she is the president.

As a current member of the board, DeChellis said she has had the opportunity to attend conferences and seminars to gain knowledge of her position and share it with the other board members, as well as remain accessible to the community.

She said her biggest accomplishments include helping pass the bond issue to build the school's new K-12 campus, with 52 percent covered by the Ohio School Facilities Commission; commence all day, every day kindergarten; and improve security in all buildings.

DeChellis and her husband, Donald, live on Longview Circle in North Lima. They have three children, all attending Ohio colleges.

4 Richard J. Ferenchak, current president of the South Range Schools Foundation board of directors, previously ran for the position in 2007. He is a member of the South Ranges Schools building and dispositions committee, creator and chair of the South Range "Buy a Brick" fund raising committee and a four-year coach with the South Range Soccer Club, currently coaching a U-10 team.

He was also a member of the YSU College of Nursing /Good Hope Lutheran church medical missions to Mexico in 2007 and 2008.

A past pharmacy manager and current pharmacist at the Boardman Giant Eagle, Ferenchak said school board members need to possess exceptional managerial skills to best allocate limited resources to benefit all the children in the school.

"It is the responsibility of the members of the board of education to oversee the schools and ensure that students attain their highest educational objectives," he said. "We cannot afford to be complacent and rest on our laurels. Our administrators, staff and students must confront and conquer the educational challenges ahead with energy and determination."

That complacency is why he is running, Ferenchak said.

"I feel that we are currently spending an inordinate amount of time 'teaching to the test,'" he said. "Our ratings of excellence show that we leave no child behind; now we must ensure that our average and above-average students maximize their educational potential."

If elected, he promised to pursue development of honors and advanced placement programs; attempt to lower health care benefits for employees using his work experience; and donate back to the school all compensation for serving on the board, while refusing any fringe benefits.

Ferenchak and his wife, Tracey, have three children.

4 Incumbent John Fromel, a school board member for four years, is an engineering manager at Rockwell Automation. He is currently an officer in the Eastern Ohio Conservation Club and a member of the South Range Baseball Association.

After four years on the board, Fromel said his biggest accomplishments in which he has participated include passing the bond issue to co-fund the new K-12 campus; implementing the all day, every day kindergarten program; and working with the school staff and administration to maintain an "Excellent" rating by the Ohio Department of Education.

He lives with his wife, Susan, and their four children on Shadow Wood Lane.

Incumbent Ralph Wince did not reply to a Salem News questionnaire.