Rogers' Benton County School Of The Arts Board Candidates Vie For Office

ROGERS -- Parents queried Benton County School of the Arts board candidates during a forum Tuesday.

An election for the School Board will be held next week at the school. Seven men are vying for four positions on the board. The arts school is a public school, but only charter parents are eligible to vote.

AT A GLANCE

School Election

Voting will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on April 29 at both campuses of the Benton County School of the Arts. Parents who have an elementary or middle school student will vote at the 12th Street campus. Parents with students at the high school only will vote at the high school. As an independent public charter school, elections at Benton County School of the Arts are open to parents with students enrolled at the school.

A previous version of this story had incorrect opening and closing times for the election. The error has been corrected.

Source: Staff Report

Howard Alsdorf, board member, and Joe DeRouen will run for Position 1. Tony Beardsley, board member, and Anthony Porchia will run for Position 2. Kevin West is running unopposed and on July 1 will hold the seat held by Jim Keast, Position 3. Dave Russell, board secretary, and JP Trevino will run for Position 4.

Candidates touted their experience and ideas for the future.

Alsdorf noted his long-term involvement with the school, back to its starting days 13 years ago. The arts school brings students out of their shell, he said. Although his children have graduated, that's why he remains involved with the school, he said.

"I know a lot of the past and some of the holes we fell into in the past that I would not like us to fall into again," Alsdorf said.

DeRouen, Alsdorf's opponent, said changes need to be made at the school. Parents are talking on Facebook, but they're being ignored, he said. He pledged not to be intimidated by others.

"I'll stand up for the parents and the teachers and the students," DeRouen said.

Parental involvement was a theme for discussion. Parents asked for better notifications and more ways to be involved. They asked board candidates if they would stay involved if not elected.

Parents are a resource the school could better use both in their areas of expertise and as volunteers, Beardsley said. His children have graduated, but he can't see himself not being a part of the school, he said.

His job as a board member, he said, is to make decisions.

"Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions. Decisions that are important," Beardsley said. "That's what I bring to this board, being able to make the right tough decisions."

Porchia, Beardsley's opponent, said he's volunteered as a Watchdog Dad at the school. There could be more parental involvement, he told the audience of 25.

"I'm pretty sure we have more parents than this," he said.

West, who's running unopposed, encouraged parents not to be opponents of the board, but to attend meetings, express opinions and partner with the board.

"No matter who sits on that board, I think you're going to get a top-notch board or at least a very concerned one," West said.

Several candidates talked about finances.

Russell, who has served on the board four years, said his goal was for the school to remain financially viable.

"There was a time when we weren't," he said.

The school gets limited support from the state, Russell said. He pointed to the foundation the board voted to start and pledged support for teacher raises.

Trevino, Russell's opponent, said he manages a small budget but knows how to get the most bang for his buck.

His wife is an artist and he's a musician, Trevino said. He wants to see more arts in the arts school.

"I guess the reason we're all running is we care," he said.

Asked about the academic and arts balance, board candidates pointed to changes for fall at the elementary and middle school. The middle school will go to block scheduling. Dance and drama will be added for kindergarten through fourth grade.

Parents said after the forum they felt better informed. The forum was balanced, said Kim Cameron, middle school parent. Some of the answers went around the issues, but she heard what she needed to hear from the candidates.

"I saw good and bad in everyone," she said.

NW News on 04/23/2014

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