BENTONVILLE -- Voters in some Benton County school districts will go to the polls today to decide school board races, while another district decides whether to approve a new millage.
Polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the appropriate zones and school districts.
Two seats on the Bentonville School Board are on the line. Voters in School Board Zone 4 will decide between Kirsten Johnston and incumbent Willie Cowgur. Zone 5 residents will decide between Travis Riggs and incumbent Lisa Clark. Riggs resigned a year ago after 11 years on the board, but has decided he wants the position back. Clark was appointed to replace him in October.
The winner in each zone will get a five-year term.
There is no race for the Rogers School Board. The only imminent change on that board is the addition of Amy Horn, the only person who filed to run for the Zone 4 seat. She will replace Walter Schrader, who did not seek re-election. Horn is director of His House Preschool and Learning Center.
No polling places will be open today in the Rogers district. All voting occurred during early voting or by absentee ballot.
In both Bentonville and Rogers, there is no millage increase, only continuations of the existing millages.
Gravette School District is proposing a new 3.6-mill tax increase. The district would build a new elementary school in Bella Vista and add several classrooms to the high school if voters approve the tax. The owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $72 per year.
The millage increase would provide about three-fourths of the projects' cost. The rest of the money would come from refinanced and extended 2009 bonds and the district building fund.
Elsewhere, Pea Ridge district voters have a three-way race for the School Board's Position 4 seat. The candidates include Jeff Cato, Joseph Carlson and John Dye. The seat is held by Joshua Ramsey, who is not seeking re-election. A runoff election, if necessary, will be held Oct. 7.
Cato is the husband of Ann Cato, the board's president. Relatives serving on a school board is legal in Arkansas.
Benton County's only other school board race is in Gentry for the at-large Position 6 seat. Sheryl Braun is running against incumbent Coye Cripps. Gary Dunlap is running uncontested for re-election to his Zone 1 seat.
NW News on 09/16/2014