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ST. CHARLES COUNTY — School board elections aren’t until April, but efforts to wrest control of some of the state’s most embattled boards have already kicked off.

School board candidate filing ended at 5 p.m. Tuesday, bringing about the official start of contentious races for the Francis Howell and Wentzville boards.

In the Wentzville School District, the seven-member board could add two outspoken conservatives who seek two open seats on the board.

Candidates Danielle Looney and Christina Macormic, both founding members of the conservative St. Charles County Parents Association, seek to fill a seat left by outgoing Board President Katie Lyczak and Julie Scott, who is running for reelection.

The parents association, or SCCPA, began during the pandemic as debates over masks and quarantine procedures embroiled school districts nationwide. The group sued the St. Charles County Health Department in 2021 over allegations the department’s COVID-19 quarantine policies and recommendations for public schools violated state laws. In summer 2023, the parents association launched a campaign to exclude their children from leadership training, social-emotional learning, health care and more in public schools to “combat ideological subversion.�

But Looney and Macormic had cut ties with SCCPA by then, resigning from the group’s board of directors in April 2023 after the nonprofit accused the two of working against it.

Looney and Macormic could not be reached for comment.

show the agency revoked SCCPA’s federal tax exempt status on May 15 for either failing to file 990 tax forms or notices that receipts were under a certain threshold for three consecutive years.

Wentzville has seen its fair share of culture war issues over the last few years, but tensions have, for the most part, died down in recent months. Former Superintendent Danielle Tormala left in April with a more than $1 million buyout after a two-year tenure marred by debates of race and gender in curriculum and .

In 2022, Wentzville made headlines for banning — and later unbanning — Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye� from high school libraries amid a wave of book challenges across the United States. The board more recently passed a policy requiring transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their “reproductive biology at birth.�

And a lawsuit filed against the district by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey over alleged Sunshine Law violations in September 2023 is still making its way through court.

Other Wentzville candidates include Jeremy Way, a former parent of two in the district and assistant superintendent of human resources, facilities and transportation for the Wright City R-III School District. Both Way and current board member Scott have received endorsements from the St. Charles County Families for Public Schools, whose candidates won in a clean sweep last April.

“I feel like our district needs a reset with all the drama and everything that’s happened with the superintendent and the school board the last few years,� Wentzville parent Amanda Knittel said on Tuesday. “I think our district really just needs to see a board that’s focused on getting work done that’s not a culture war.�

Francis Howell

The Francis Howell School Board will also see some leadership change come spring.

Board President Adam Bertrand did not file to run for a second term, saying he accomplished his goals on the board and wanted to focus the time he has left on finding a replacement for the district’s departing superintendent.

“This decision also allows me to focus all my dedicated time working for the board and district towards our superintendent search,� he said in text message.

Bertrand, along with Vice President Randy Cook, were the first board members elected with the backing of the conservative Francis Howell Families PAC.

The PAC seeks to keep Francis Howell’s five-member conservative majority. It’s endorsing Cook and marketing executive Ashley Sturm, who both have children in the district.

“Both bring a passion for education and a commitment to transparency, accountability, and results,� the group wrote in its . “They understand that keeping FHSD exceptional means focusing on the basics: smart spending, strong academics, and community trust.�

Two other candidates — Amy Gryder and Sarah Oelke — have the backing of the Francis Howell Forward PAC, which calls itself nonpartisan. Gryder is an alumna of the district and works in product management; Oelke teaches English in the Parkway School District.

Former Democratic state Sen. Ted House, whose group St. Charles County Families for Public Schools won elections last year, said supporters want to “take back our schools.�

“Our objective is to get back to having school boards that want to do what’s best for the kids, and who support teachers and who support the idea of public education,� House said.