Two Running For Bentonville School Board

BENTONVILLE — Matt Burgess is challenging Rudy Upshaw in this year’s only Bentonville School Board race.

Upshaw and Burgess are running for the School Board’s Zone 6 seat. Only residents of Zone 6, which includes parts of central and south Bentonville, will vote in this race.

The School Board election will be Sept. 17 along with the vote on the board’s proposed millage for a second high school.

The Benton County Daily Record asked both candidates to respond to four questions related to this race. Those questions and the candidates’ answers are provided below.

Why are you running?

Matt Burgess: My parents, who are both educators, taught me that I have an obligation to serve others. Every day, Bentonville’s teachers and administrators commit themselves to serving our children. Our community deserves board members who are equally committed to making difficult decisions in order to ensure our children receive the best educational opportunities possible. If elected, I will strive to provide each student with the resources to achieve his or her maximum potential. Every child matters.

Bentonville’s School Board will be tasked with many difficult decisions over the next decade. I will ask the difficult questions to make sure every penny of our tax dollars is allocated to maximize our students’ educational opportunities. Transparency and accountability are vital to this pursuit.

Our district has enjoyed tremendous growth, due in large part to the quality of our School District. Our board must develop a long-term growth plan that meets our district’s educational needs for today and decades to come.

Safe schools that challenge our children to become lifetime learners will shape our community for decades to come. Providing quality educational opportunities for all of our students ensures “Excellence with every step.”

Rudy Upshaw: I grew up in Springdale with many challenges to my education. I was the first in my family to graduate from college and I truly appreciate the blessing of my education. Because of my childhood and my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I have a passion to use my skills and abilities to serve the kids and families of our community. My wonderful wife, Becky, a nurse in the School District, and I have six children between us, five of which have been brought up in the district.

I am honored to be currently serving on the School Board. After serving several years in our schools’ PTOs and on the Bentonville PTO executive committee, I began attending School Board and committee meetings to learn more about how I could add value for our kids, teachers and schools. I was appointed to the board in May 2012, and in September 2012 I was elected and drew a one-year term from the newly zoned board positions. The board has achieved some amazing accomplishments from strategic planning to managing our blessing of growth at all grade levels. I ask the community to allow me to continue to serve you in this work.

The School Board is proposing a 2.9-mill tax increase on the Sept. 17 ballot for a second high school. Do you agree with this proposal for solving the School District’s overcrowding problem at the high school level? Why or why not?

Burgess: Yes. Bentonville High School’s ideal capacity is 3,737. Currently, there are more than 4,200 high school students. My daughter is a second grader at Willowbrook. If another facility is not constructed in the next seven years she will be one of more than 5,400 high schools students — approximately the population of Bentonville in 1970.

We are growing at a rate twice that of our neighboring school districts. In the last 10 years, the district has constructed several elementary schools, two middle schools and a junior high. Now is the time to recommit ourselves to our high school students.

A second high school will create twice the opportunities for our students to participate in extracurricular activities. Students will have the same educational and athletic opportunities at both facilities. Increased opportunities and participation will produce well-rounded students who will be prepared for college and employment opportunities.

The total cost of this project is approximately $86 million. Our district qualifies for $13 million in state partnership funds. These funds may not be available in the future. The 2.9 millage is 43 percent of the 6.7 millage presented to the voters in the last election. Every child matters; now is the time to act.

Upshaw: The School Board went through a very business-like and methodical process to help make the decisions around solving the blessing of growth and our subsequent overcrowding issue for our high school students. Surveys were done to help understand why the last millage failed. We engaged multiple professional services to give us independent, third-party, statistical data.

A demographic study was performed to research historical and future population trends at the local, regional and School District levels considering data points such as birth rates, cohort movement, building permits and business development. A facilities capacity study for all of our 18 schools was completed to ensure we were fully and efficiently utilizing all buildings and spaces.

With this data, we went to the community through 19-plus community forums throughout our nine communities in the district to solicit feedback to help us develop this package for our future high school kids. Groups opposed to a second high school were also involved to ensure their feedback was honored. Solving our growth issue is a significant economic issue and our business community has also been involved. This package has been a community effort and I am proud of the work we have all done.

Beyond solving the high school’s capacity issue, what do you see as the biggest issue the district will have to address over the next five years?

Burgess: Our School District increased by approximately 800 students (5.9 percent growth) last year. This year, we have grown by more than 500 students. Our district is growing twice as fast as most of the districts in Northwest Arkansas, and the fastest in the state. Our board will need to establish long-term strategic plans that will address our future facilities and personnel needs. In the next few years, our district will need to add one to two elementary schools, one middle school and another junior high. Our growth cannot be ignored.

The board must continue to recognize the financial strain our community is experiencing. Right now, our district has one of the highest millage rates in Arkansas. The board must seek alternative sources of funding to reduce the overall tax burden. Obtaining private funds and grant money are vital. For example, according to www.schoolfundingcenter.info, there are over 85,000 opportunities representing over $7.9 billion in available funding in Arkansas. Every penny received reduces the burden on our community, and is a benefit to our children.

The board must work to retain our teachers and administrators. The district’s benefit packages continue to skyrocket and most teachers have not received raises in years.

Upshaw: Our high school capacity issue is critical. We are expected to be 500 students over facility capacity this school year. We have 65 teachers that don’t have a classroom at the high school. They are on rolling carts and use other teachers’ classrooms when they are out on prep time. The next five years will still bring additional growth for our other grade levels as businesses expand and people want to live in the nine different communities throughout the School District. The blessing of growth is planned to continue and depending on those levels I see a need for one or two new elementary schools and a middle school in the next five to six years.

Our School Board is strategically planning on possible locations to honor the various communities throughout the district and the growth that is expected. We are also actively looking for ways to fund future projects to minimize the burden on taxpayers. We are blessed with strong economic opportunities and we have great schools, which is why we have had such explosive growth. Our communities’ expectations and our schools’ expectations will remain high in all areas: academics, athletics and extracurricular. We must continue to execute strategically.

Why are you the better candidate for this position?

Burgess: As a lawyer and a former teacher, I am the right person for the job. In 1994 I received my degree in education from the University of Missouri, and student-taught at Hickman High School, Sam Walton’s alma mater. Public education is very important to our family. My wife of 17 years, Jennifer Burgess, also has a degree in education and is a teacher at Bright Field Middle School. My educational training and experience will allow me to effectively implement policies that will give the district direction to achieve its ultimate goal: educating our children to become critical thinkers who are lifelong learners.

Over the last 15 years as a practicing lawyer, I have developed the analytical and logical reasoning skills necessary to understand large volumes of complex information in an efficient and effective manner. My legal background has prepared me to ask the tough questions to make critical decisions. We must strive to increase the taxpayers’ return on their investment in our children. When resources are scarce, it is critical that the board makes every penny count.

The challenges we face over the next decade are daunting. I’m committed to utilizing my skills and experience to make every student matter.

Upshaw: Serving in any elected role demands the candidate be prepared to take office and perform the duties. Long before I considered asking the community to entrust me with making decisions on their behalf, I spent several years getting up to speed by attending School Board committee and monthly meetings, spending time with those involved and researching information to make sure I was informed and prepared to serve.

Having directly served with numerous parent and community groups across the School District has allowed me to apply those experiences to my role on the board. I have actively sought the input and feedback of the community and groups with differing viewpoints. I have been able to use my 19-year banking and finance background to the School Board’s Policy, Curriculum and Finance committees.

Having a servant’s heart and a strong commitment are critical components to serve as a School Board member. Outside of my School Board work I have been actively involved in the community through my service to the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, the Bentonville Rotary Club and Cross Church through its student and parking ministries.