GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colorado — Prospective candidates for open school board seats in three area school districts still have time to collect signatures and return their nominating petitions. But that time is quickly running out.

The deadline for candidates to return petitions to district offices in Glenwood Springs, Rifle and Parachute containing the required 50 signatures of registered voters from their respective school districts is 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30.

After that date, write-in candidates still have until Sept. 3 to declare their intentions. If there are no contested seats for the Nov. 5 election, school districts may cancel their board elections.

“If we don’t get any opposition, we will be canceling the election,” said Cyndy Hallford, assistant to the school board for Roaring Fork School District Re-1, where the two Basalt-area seats are up for election this fall.

Incumbents Richard Stettner from Director District A and Bob Johnson from Director District E have both taken out petitions to seek re-election, but had not yet formally returned them as of Friday.

Candidates must reside within the specific director district in order to run. Terms are for four years.

District A encompasses the section of Basalt south of Midland Avenue and the Willits area south of Highway 82. District E takes in the areas north of Midland and Two Rivers Road in Basalt proper, and most of the rural Missouri Heights area.

Roaring Fork Re-1 includes public schools in Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs. The three Glenwood- and Carbondale-area seats are not up for election this year.

Candidate petitions can be obtained and returned to the Re-1 District Office at 1405 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs. For more information, call (970) 384-6009.

Meanwhile, two incumbents and one challenger have pulled petitions to run for two four-year seats on the Garfield Re-2 School District board, said district spokeswoman Theresa Hamilton.

Incumbent Mickie Hosack in District A (Rifle) has already turned in her petition, as has one challenger for that seat, Shirley Parks of Rifle, according to Hamilton.

Anne Guettler, the incumbent in District E (New Castle) is the only candidate so far to request a petition from that area, Hamilton said.

In Garfield District 16, which includes schools in Parachute/Battlement Mesa, all five school board seats are up for election this fall.

As of Friday, three of the five incumbents had requested petitions, along with two prospective new candidates, according to Rose Belden, director of business services for District 16.

Three of the seats will be designated for four-year terms in the upcoming election, while two will be for shortened two-year terms so that the seats will be staggered for future elections.

Currently serving on the D-16 school board are Sarah Del Orona, Mitchell Jay Steinke, Michelle Bargas, Kevin Coleman and Megan Alstatt.

The same Aug. 30 school board candidate petition deadline applies for all school districts in Colorado.

jstroud@postindependent.com