Mary Russell is a lifelong Lebanon Yellowjacket, graduating from LHS in 2002. She graduated from Mizzou with a master’s degree in physical therapy and works locally for Integrity Home Care. She is married to Jason- also a lifelong Yellowjacket, who owns a small business in Lebanon. They have been married for 18 years and they have two boys, Drew- a 9th grader at LHS & Spencer- a 7th grader at LMS.
In her spare time, Mary loves to watch her boys play basketball, garden and bake and cheer on the Mizzou Tigers. Mary has served on the LR3 School Board since 2020, where she has been a strong voice advocating for transparency and fiscal responsibility while making students a top priority by supporting teachers and staff. She also serves on the Live 2 Give Hope board and as the bedding coordinator for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Mary and her family are active at LifePoint Church here in Lebanon.
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Tonight, Lebanon Now begins releasing our Lebanon R-3 School Board candidate conversations.
The four candidates in this year’s race are Jina Richardson, Charlie Darnell, Mary Russell, and Craig Blair.
To ensure fairness and consistency, every candidate was asked the exact same seven questions:
1. Why are you seeking a term on the school board?
2. What are the biggest issues facing the Lebanon public school system, and how do you plan to address those issues as a board member?
3. How do you balance the needs of students, staff, the public, and salary concerns when making decisions?
4. What are your thoughts on open enrollment, and do you see it as a threat or concern for the Lebanon R-3 School District?
5. Is state funding for private school scholarships an economic threat to the Lebanon R-3 system, and should the local board be addressing that?
6. What do you believe are the toughest financial questions the board will have to answer over the next three years?
7. Is there anything else you’d like voters to know about your race and what you plan to do as a board member?
Each candidate was given as much time as they wanted to fully answer each question.
In the interest of fairness, we did not challenge, follow up on, or expand on any candidate’s answers, ensuring there could be no appearance that one candidate was questioned more heavily than another.
Outside of necessary camera angle changes, these conversations were not edited in any way that would add to, remove from, or alter the candidates’ responses. We wanted each person to have the opportunity to speak directly to voters in their own words.
We encourage everyone to watch each conversation before making their decision at the ballot box.
Because Facebook often limits the reach of political and election-related content, your shares, comments, and engagement help make sure this important local election information reaches more voters across our community.
In her spare time, Mary loves to watch her boys play basketball, garden and bake and cheer on the Mizzou Tigers. Mary has served on the LR3 School Board since 2020, where she has been a strong voice advocating for transparency and fiscal responsibility while making students a top priority by supporting teachers and staff. She also serves on the Live 2 Give Hope board and as the bedding coordinator for Sleep in Heavenly Peace. Mary and her family are active at LifePoint Church here in Lebanon.
-------------------
Tonight, Lebanon Now begins releasing our Lebanon R-3 School Board candidate conversations.
The four candidates in this year’s race are Jina Richardson, Charlie Darnell, Mary Russell, and Craig Blair.
To ensure fairness and consistency, every candidate was asked the exact same seven questions:
1. Why are you seeking a term on the school board?
2. What are the biggest issues facing the Lebanon public school system, and how do you plan to address those issues as a board member?
3. How do you balance the needs of students, staff, the public, and salary concerns when making decisions?
4. What are your thoughts on open enrollment, and do you see it as a threat or concern for the Lebanon R-3 School District?
5. Is state funding for private school scholarships an economic threat to the Lebanon R-3 system, and should the local board be addressing that?
6. What do you believe are the toughest financial questions the board will have to answer over the next three years?
7. Is there anything else you’d like voters to know about your race and what you plan to do as a board member?
Each candidate was given as much time as they wanted to fully answer each question.
In the interest of fairness, we did not challenge, follow up on, or expand on any candidate’s answers, ensuring there could be no appearance that one candidate was questioned more heavily than another.
Outside of necessary camera angle changes, these conversations were not edited in any way that would add to, remove from, or alter the candidates’ responses. We wanted each person to have the opportunity to speak directly to voters in their own words.
We encourage everyone to watch each conversation before making their decision at the ballot box.
Because Facebook often limits the reach of political and election-related content, your shares, comments, and engagement help make sure this important local election information reaches more voters across our community.