Candidates Vie For School Board Spot

— A rocket scientist, a financial consultant and a school administrator are competing for a spot on the Springdale School Board.

Voters will choose among Edge Nowlin, Kevin Ownbey and Donald Johnson to fill the Zone 1 position.

The elected candidate will have a five-year term on the board. Only voters in Zone 1 may vote for a candidate in the Sept. 20 election. Most of Zone 1 is west of Interstate 540.

Board member Jim Bradford, the only member of the seven-person board whose term is expiring, chose not to seek re-election because of personal reasons. Bradford said he supports Ownbey to replace him.

The $13 million Sonora Elementary School is almost two weeks into its first school year. The $18 million Sonora Middle School is scheduled to open next year. Hylton Junior High School, a $27 million project, is set to open in 2013. The district has built 10 schools in nine years.

Kevin Ownbey

Age: 45. Born July 9, 1966.

Residency: 2837 Willow Bend Circle, Springdale. Has lived in Springdale since 1999.

Family: Wife, Holly; Three children in the Springdale School District.

Employment: Self-employed in financial planning and consulting; Tyson Foods vice president of operations for the company’s processed meats division.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, Arkansas Tech University.

Political Experience: None.

Donald Johnson

Age: 70. Born Jan. 11, 1941.

Residency: 4312 Atchison Ave., Springdale. Has lived in Springdale since 1987.

Family: Wife, Zelpha; Two grandchildren in the Springdale School District.

Employment: Retired, Elmdale Elementary School principal for 32 years.

Education: Master’s degree in administration and bachelor’s degree in elementary education, University of Arkansas.

Political Experience: None.

Edge Nowlin

Age: 68. Born July 24, 1943

Residency: 12130 Red Oak Dr., Fayetteville, which is in Springdale School District Zone 1. Has lived in school district since 1990.

Family: Wife, Deborah. Five children graduated from Springdale High School.

Employment: Retired, IBM IT specialist for 40 years.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, University of Arkansas

Political Experience: Unsuccessfully ran for at-large Springdale School Board seat in 2010.

The continuous construction is the result of rapid population growth that shows no sign of slowing. Student enrollment increased from about 12,000 to 19,000 in the past decade.

Candidates have different ideas about how the district should stretch its $150 million budget to allow for facility growth and maintenance in the face of student population growth.

Properly maintaining facilities, while sticking to a reasonable budget, should be a board priority, Ownbey said.

Ownbey said his experience with budgets and financing will be a valuable addition to the board.

“You’ve got to get an understanding of budget revenues, making sure the dollars are spent in the right way,” Ownbey said.

He said he managed $200 million budgets at Tyson Foods.

Johnson said while he supports maintaining quality facilities, construction cost should be the first cut if the budget is in a pinch.

“It’s better than cutting curriculum and academics,” Johnson said.

The district could save money by examining each individual item’s cost and cutting where necessary, Johnson said.

He said he would not be afraid to ask questions about individual items, such as high ceilings and their effect on energy costs.

Nowlin said the budget could use more donations and money from outside sources to attract more Northwest Arkansas newcomers to Springdale. He also said the district should improve communication with the public.

He said district management and board members could improve Springdale schools by engaging the public and gaining more support. More support would lead to more potential donors and more public interest in the school system, Nowlin said.

“The School Board doesn’t even have good direction from the people,” said Nowlin, citing low voter turnout in board and millage elections. About 6,600 voters turned out in last year’s millage vote and School Board election for an at-large seat.

Academics were also a priority for the candidates.

Arkansas schools instituted Common Core for grades kindergarten through second grade this school year. The new curriculum standard is meant to require students to solve real-world problems with in-depth answers. Local educators have advocated for the standard as a viable alternative to the results-based No Child Left Behind system.

Johnson said the school district’s highest priority should be to increase test scores while introducing Common Core. He said administrators and board members should work together to make sure teachers can use Common Core to strengthen the depth of curriculum.

Administrators and board members should encourage teachers to commit to teaching students basics before moving to complex subjects because of the diverse and growing number of English-language learners in Springdale, he said.

Such a strategy gives students the tools needed to expand their education each year, Johnson said.

Although Ownbey is just learning about curriculum, he said time on the board will help him further understand Springdale academics.

“That will come with the job and experience,” he said.

Ownbey said Common Core standards will help students develop in-depth understanding of the curriculum, he said.

“It will require students to analyze more,” Ownbey said.

Nowlin said Common Core translates into classroom learning in a way No Child Left Behind never could. No Child Left Behind did not engage students the way Common Core can, he said.

“There’s a tremendous load on the teachers,” Nowlin said.

He said the new standards lift some of that load.

Starting as an IBM launch engineer in 1966 for the Apollo program, Nowlin said he knows how to take on large projects and turn people into leaders.

Although he retired in 2006, Nowlin works as a dive instructor a few weeks a year in the Caribbean and is working on a music degree from the University of Arkansas.

Johnson said experience as a principal and teacher in Fayetteville and Springdale equipped him to fully understand the school district and its nuances.

Retired since 2009, Johnson said he wants to give back to the school district and help students again.

Ownbey said finances are his strength. He worked at Tyson for 22 years and recently left to start his own financial consulting business.

He said his children are in district schools and his wife is a teacher at John Tyson Elementary School. She gives him insight into school matters.

The 45-year-old Ownbey said he believes his age gives him an advantage over his older competitors.

Ownbey said it will take a new board member 10 to 15 years to make a substantial difference in the school district.

“I have the time to do that because of my age,” he said. “You can’t go in and spend a few years on the board. That’s not efficient.”

Nowlin, 68, disagreed and said candidates should be expected to make a difference within the first six months of being elected.

“I don’t know that he’s got more time than me,” Nowlin said. “Is that really what we want, someone to take 10 to 15 years to make a difference.”

Johnson, 70, said his decades of experience in the Springdale school system will make him ready to make a difference from day one.

“Education continually changes,” Johnson said. “Every year, the board makes a difference in people’s lives.”

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