White Settlement school board

Trustees oversee the school district by setting policies, hiring a superintendent to conduct day-to-day business, and adopting annual budgets and tax rates. They serve three-year terms and are unpaid.

Place 5

Ben Davis is unopposed for the unexpired term.

Place 6

Incumbent Melissa Brown is unopposed and will keep her seat until 2011.

Place 7

Name: Lori Ball (incumbent)

Age: 49

City: Fort Worth

Occupation: Assistant editor

Online: none

Background: Ball is a graduate of Brewer High School. She has worked as an insurance adjuster, as a stay-at-home mother and in various jobs at Suburban Newspapers.

About the candidate: Elected to the board in 1994, Ball is now president. She said her years of serving on PTA, Booster Clubs and district committees exemplify her passion for children and the servant leadership. Ball said she has helped initiate more college preparation programs in the district but said schools must balance academics, extracurricular activities and character education. She said she has helped open the doors to better communication through parent chats.

Name: Todd Hatcher

Age: 39

City: White Settlement

Occupation: Information technology infrastructure manager

Online: none

Background: Bachelor's degree in computer science from Tarleton State University; since 1992 has worked in information technology for private companies and government entities including the city of Fort Worth and the Tarrant Regional Water District.

About the candidate: Hatcher said his driving trait is attention to detail, which he calls critical in a school district with a limited budget. Hatcher, who coaches youth sports, enjoys watching "the light bulb go off" when a child finally understands something. He's making his second run for the board because he wants to ask tough questions and improve the district by involving more people.