Four of the seven seats of the School District of Lee County school board are up for election this November as the current terms expire in November.

District 1 board member Mary Fischer, who currently serves as vice chair, said she has not made a final decision as to whether she is running again. She was first elected to the board in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014 and 2018.

“I have kind of indicated I have planned on deciding by the beginning of March. I want to weigh some options that are presented to me,” she said.

Four individuals have announced they are running in District 1, which mostly represents Cape Coral. According to Lee County Elections Office, candidates who have filed paperwork to run include Sam Fisher, Cathy Stout, Christine DeVigili and Courtney Staley.

The at-large District 6 seat, which represents the islands and all of Lee County, will also be on the ballot as Betsy Vaughn’s term expires in November. According to the Lee County Elections, Joseph R. Gambino, Jada Langford-Fleming and Denise Nystrom have filed for the seat.

The remaining seats are District 4 Board Member and Chair Debbie Jordan and District 5 Board Member Gwyn Gittens, whose seats both expire this year. District 4 encompasses parts of North Fort Myers, the Cape and Dunbar, while District 5 covers mostly Lehigh Acres. According to the Lee County Elections, Jordan and Dan Severson have filed paperwork for the District 4 seat, and Gittens, Randy Allen-Scott and Armor D. Persons have filed paperwork to run in District 5.

Paperwork is required to collect donations and fund any campaign-related activities.

School board candidates may pre-qualify beginning on May 30, with the official candidate qualifying period from noon on June 13 through noon on June 17.

Candidates may qualify one of two ways: collect signatures on a petition or pay a filing fee.

Candidates who choose the petition route must collect a required number of valid signatures of verifiable registered voters — 978 signatures for Districts 1, 4 and 5 and 4,892 signatures for District 6. They also may choose to pay a qualifying fee of 4 percent of the salary, $45,553, which is $1,822.12, according to Lee County Elections.

The Primary Election is on Aug. 23, with an early voting period of Aug. 13-20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The General Election will take place on Nov. 8, with the early voting period of Oct. 24 to Nov. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

At a glance for District 1

Name: Sam Fisher

Age: 40

City of Residence: Cape Coral

Why are you running for the school board? “I have become increasingly disappointed with the actions and direction of the Lee County School Board. We deserve a school board that shares our conservative principles and puts the children at the forefront of their priorities. Currently we have a board that is so distracted fighting among themselves that they are unable to focus on their responsibilities. Parents and taxpayers are rightly frustrated that their voices are being ignored and I am running to represent them. Running for this seat is personal, as both a parent and a taxpayer. I am excited to help change the direction of the Lee County School Board.”

Name: Cathy Stout

Age: 51

City of Residence: Cape Coral

Why are you running for the school board? “As a mother of five and a grandmother, my objective is to be a voice and an advocate for the parents in our community. The school budget needs to be critically analyzed and wasteful spending must be reduced. Bus transportation needs rerouting and bus drivers need aids on all routes. The teachers need a raise and the children deserve a quality education. I am confident that as a strong leader, I can focus on moving the district forward with consensus priorities along with strong policies that will have a positive impact on the quality of education in Lee County.”

Name: Christine DeVigili

Age: 37

City of Residence: Cape Coral

Why are you running for the school board? “I’m running for school board because our school district is broken and I believe that I can help fix it. I’m a parent that was born and raised right here in Lee County. I’ve been an advocate for children and families in my community for many years now and after aiding so many parents, and participating in school board meetings it’s clearly evident that we need school board members that are going to represent our children, educators and community fairly. I believe I am that person.”

Name: Courtney Staley

Age: 35

City of Residence: Cape Coral

Why are you running for the school board? “I am both an educator and a parent in the district and so I am immersed in the shortcomings and unresolved issues on a daily basis. Our district is in dire need of change. We need more transparency, more community voice, budgetary reviews and systematic changes. I have been active in advocating for these changes and left with the desire for more. I decided that the only way to truly be the change is to run for the board and make them.”

The seat for district 4, which encompasses parts of North Fort Myers, Cape Coral and Dunbar, also is up for election, as current chair Debbie Jordan’s term expires November of this year.

According to Lee County Elections Jordan and Dan Severson have filed paperwork for the District 4 seat.

Name: Debbie Jordan

Age: 63

City of Residence: Fort Myers

Why are you running again for the school board? “I have had the opportunity to hold office in a time like no other. We still have so much work to do to ensure that our children’s future will be bright. I will continue to work hard for all children, especially for those with special needs. We have to make sure that our schools and team have the tools needed to take our children across the finish line whether they choose to go to college or into the workforce. I plan on making sure that happens by helping to prepare our students for the future.”

Name: Dan Severson

Age: 67

City of Residence: Cape Coral

Why are you running for the school board? “The reason I am running for the Lee County School Board, District 4 is that for too long, the voices of taxpayers and parents have been ignored by an out-of-control School Board that answers to far-left liberal interests instead of the families and taxpayers of Lee County. I am running to be their voice and bring conservative leadership to our School Board. I would be honored to earn their vote and support.”

The District 5, mostly Lehigh Acres, and District 6, at large, seats also are this year as Gwyn Gittens’ and Betsy Vaughn’s terms expires in November.

Gittens, Randy Allen-Scott and Armor D. Persons have filed paperwork to run in District 5 and Joseph R. Gambino, Jada Langford-Fleming and Denise Nystrom have filed in District 6.

Name: Denise Nystrom

Age: 61

City of Residence: Bonita Springs

Why are you running for the school board? “I am a mother of three and a grandmother of eight. I was a special education teacher, a special education administrator, and an assistant superintendent who ran school districts for a living. I have been attending the school board meetings for quite a while now, and am there for nine to 12 hours on any given day, which has given me a complete understanding of what needs to be accomplished in the school district. I am running for school board because my lifelong passion is to advocate for children and their families, and to be a voice for the community. I have the expertise to understand how school districts function and can hit the ground running.”