The pool of candidates for Austin School Board has grown to eight, the final count at deadline Tuesday evening.

All three board members whose terms expire have opted to run again: Richard Lees, Mary Kleis and David Simonson. Terms for other board members — Don Fox, Curt Rude, Diana Wangsness and Kathy Green — expire in 2011.

A primary election will be held Sept. 15 because three or more candidates have filed for a position. The general election will be held Nov. 3.

The school board voted this year to move its election to even years to coincide with the general election. Those elected in 2009 and 2011 will serve three-year terms.

School board candidates include:

Tracey Chamberlain, filed July 14. Chamberlain has served as a pastor and administrator at the Bank School. He served on the Austin City Council from 1987-90, 1991-93 and 2003-2004, when he replaced Dick Lang, who resigned to run for county board.

A phone number was not available for Chamberlain.

Aaron DeVries, filed Tuesday. An accountant at Austin Medical Center and parent of two children in grades 1 and 3, DeVries serves on the Arc Mower County board and is a parent facilitator of the Special Education Advisory Council for the Austin Public School District.

“I wanted to bring some more diversity,” DeVries said Tuesday of his decision to run for the board. “One of my children has special needs, so I bring that perspective as well.”

Aaron Keenan, filed July 10. An operational vice president at Austin Medical Center, Keenan serves on the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Board of Directors. The father of two served eight years in the Navy.

“The biggest interest I have is two-fold,” Keenan explained. “I don’t feel the board was really well-represented with members who have kids in the community. … I think diversity creates a stronger board.

“As a concerned parent, I think it is one of the best ways to get involved in their kids’ education,” he said.

Mary Kleis, filed July 13. Kleis is a mother and first-term board member. She is currently the board’s clerk.

“I enjoy the work and I think it is really important,” she said. “I also have the experience of the past four years behind me, and I’m not done yet.”

Kleis said Tuesday she believes the Austin community “really cares about the education of their kids,” one reason for the large pool of candidates this year.

“I think it’s great when we have a good quality pool of candidates to choose from,” Kleis said.

Jeff Kritzer, filed Friday. A partner at Baudler, Baudler, Maus & Blahnik, LLP, Kritzer has worked at Adams, Rizzi & Sween and as in-house counsel for the Hormel Foods Corp. His wife, Tammy, is the vice president of administration at Austin Medical Center. They have three children in grades 2, 4 and 8.

Kritzer said in a statement that running for school board “has been a natural progression.”

“I have always planned to run for school board at some time, and now that my children are all in school, I feel this is the right time for me to step up and do my part in a leadership role,” he said.

Kritzer, like some other candidates, has indicated his desire for more “diversity” on the board. He believes he is qualified because he is a parent of school-age children and because of his involvement in the community.

“… I have consistently been an active volunteer and leader in our community through various organizations, including the Riverland Community College Foundation, the United Way, the Development Corporation of Austin, the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club, the Austin Police Civil Service Commission and the Austin Charter Commission,” Kritzer stated.

Richard Lees, filed July 7. Lees is vice chairman of the school board. He has served on the board since 1994 (two three-year terms followed by four-year terms), and has been working for 14 years as a correctional officer for youth and adults in Mower County. He has also taught science from fourth grade through college, where he was an adjunct geology instructor.

Lees said he chose to run again because “there’s a lot of things happening.”

“We have a new superintendent, and I think I’ll be able to help in the situation with the finances,” Lees said.

Jeff Ollman, filed Thursday. Ollman, a retired long-time speech and language pathologist at Neveln Elementary School, attended the Austin Community Education class “So You Want to Be a School Board Member?” on April 28. Ollman said, at the time, there was a “possibility” he would throw his hat in the ring. Ollman is the only class participant of four to file for school board.

He was not available for comment.

David Simonson, filed Monday. The treasurer and a board member since 1991, Simonson retired as lieutenant of the Austin Police Department, where he served for many years. He was also a football coach and played in the National Football League.

“I love the district,” Simonson said. “It’s been a great pleasure working for the district all these years. I want opportunities for all those kids. That’s why I’ve ran in the past and that’s why I’m running again.”