Eight candidates will be vying for three seats on the Lawrence school board in the April election.

Candidates Michael Riley and Thom Hepford have joined the field of six other candidates: Vanessa Sanburn, a Kansas University graduate student; Michael Pomes, a Kansas Department of Health and Environment geologist who ran unsuccessfully in 2003 and 2007; Tom Hartley, a former chairman of the Douglas County Democrats; current board member John Mitchell, the KDHE’s director of the division of the environment; Mark Bradford, chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical; and Robert Byers.

The seats of Mitchell, Craig Grant and Linda Robinson are up for grabs. Grant and Robinson chose not to run again.

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said because the Legislature recently changed the law, 10 candidates are required to trigger a primary election. The general election is April 7.

The deadline to file was noon Tuesday.