Two more candidates have filed to run for the Lawrence school board, one a newcomer and another who is a veteran of the board.

Kelly Spurgeon, a program consultant at the Kansas State Department of Education, and Mary Loveland, a former board member of 20 years, both filed for the lone two-year term that is up for grabs in the April 7 election.

Spurgeon, 57, said he has been analyzing policy and school accountability assessments for the state’s education department for the past 15 years. He spent the previous 10 years working at Ottawa University and Neosho County Community College, where he did some counseling and taught critical thinking courses.

Kelly Spurgeon.

Mary Loveland.

Loveland, 66, served on the school board from 1987 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2011. She failed to be re-elected in 2003 after the school board decided to close some elementary schools. In the past, she has worked as an organizer for youth sports leagues and served on boards for the Kansas University Alumni Association and the Kansas Memorial Union.

Both candidates said they are running without an agenda.

Spurgeon, who said he is particularly interested in college preparation, said his candidacy is about being able to “quickly add my voice to those initiatives that are already in place, especially for a two-year term.”

“I think I’ve gained enough experience and enough wisdom to be a contributor to my community,” said Spurgeon, who had a daughter attend Lawrence public schools.

Loveland said she could provide a “fair amount” of knowledge on the history of the school district and board if elected.

“I have no agenda,” said Loveland, who had four kids attend public schools in Lawrence. “I have no cause other than it’s important to me. Everyone should be concerned about the education of young people.”

Spurgeon and Loveland are joined by incumbent Marcel Harmon for the two-year term. All three applied to fill a vacancy for the board back in August 2014, and the board unanimously selected Harmon, who officially joined that September.

Four other seats are also open for the April 7 election; however, those are for four-year terms and are part of a separate race.

Five candidates have filed for the four-year seats: Shannon Kimball, an attorney who is also the board’s president; Rick Ingram, a KU professor of clinical psychology, who joined the board in 2011; Bob Byers, an administrator for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, who first joined the board in 2009; Ronald “G.R.” Gordon-Ross, a health care IT professional; and Lindsey Frye, a medical claims collector.

Ingram, who was unavailable for comment after he filed for the election, said he is running because his experience on the board will be helpful in meeting the “dismal fiscal situation in Kansas.” He said he is particularly interested in closing achievement gaps.

“There is more to be done,” he said. “I will continue to support the district’s equity work as one way to close this gap. During my time on the board, we implemented blended learning and the AVID program, and we are now investigating the high school AP Capstone program.”

The seat currently held by board member Randy Masten is also up for election. He had not filed for re-election as of Thursday.

Candidates have until noon Jan. 27 to submit their paperwork, which can be obtained at the Douglas County Clerk’s office, 1100 Massachusetts St., or on the county’s website, DouglasCountyKS.org.