BENTONVILLE -- School Board member Wendi Cheatham, who drew sharp criticism at times from the board president and others, resigned from her position Monday.
Cheatham submitted her letter of resignation to fellow board members, Superintendent Michael Poore and Benton County Clerk Tena O'Brien. The letter stated her resignation was effective at 8 a.m. Monday. It did not provide a reason for her decision, and Cheatham did not return two messages seeking comment.
School Board Zone 7
Zone 7 covers most of the south and southwest portions of the district. It includes parts of the cities of Bentonville, Centerton, Rogers, Highfill and Cave Springs.
Source: Staff report
"I am very thankful for the honor and privilege to serve the great people and communities that make up the Bentonville School District," Cheatham wrote in her letter.
"I am pleased to have been part of a Bentonville School Board that caused Bentonville West High School to become a reality, changed District policy to support School Choice and approve student transfers and earmarked tax dollars for the next elementary school to be built without a tax increase. A first for the District," she wrote.
Cheatham represented Zone 7 on the board for nearly three years. She served as board president for one year starting in October 2013. It's up to the remaining board members to appoint someone to fulfill the rest of her term, which expires in September 2016. The board has 30 days to make that decision.
The district will run an advertisement for two weeks seeking applicants for the Zone 7 position. Anyone who lives in the zone and is interested should submit a resume and a letter of interest. The board likely will hold a special meeting to choose Cheatham's replacement, Poore said.
Board President Travis Riggs has been critical of Cheatham at least twice in the past year. The two got into a brief but heated argument at a meeting last month during which Riggs suggested she consider resigning. Cheatham walked out, forcing the board to cancel an executive session because there were no longer enough board members present to conduct business.
The argument stemmed from Cheatham's refusal to attend the July 13 meeting unless a particular item -- a report concerning the Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage and its implications on district policies -- was removed from that meeting's agenda. Three board members already had informed the board they couldn't attend that meeting. Cheatham and at least two other board members said they wanted the report delayed for that reason.
The decision to revoke the item from the agenda followed a series of emails over several days between Cheatham and Poore. Riggs accused Cheatham of holding the board hostage with her threat not to attend the meeting, which would have forced the meeting to be rescheduled.
In May, Riggs expressed frustration over Cheatham's decision to request the state perform a special audit of the district. She did so without informing the rest of the board in advance. Cheatham had asked state Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, to make the request at the state level, but Hester declined. She eventually dropped the issue.
Riggs, however, had mostly positive things to say about her when reached for comment Monday about Cheatham's resignation.
"We've had our differences, but I still think she did a lot of great things on the board," Riggs said.
Her strict attention to the budget and her role in getting voters' approval of a second high school were very helpful, he said. Riggs also acknowledged Cheatham's willingness to serve as board president for a year.
"That's a thankless job," he said.
Poore read Cheatham's letter at Monday's board meeting. He said it was written with "a lot of class." He also said he appreciated Cheatham's special attention to the district's finances. She was adamant about finding a way to pay for the district's next elementary school without seeking additional tax dollars from residents. The district accomplished that through a second-lien loan, Poore said.
"She probably could have given herself more credit for that," Poore said.
Brent Leas, a board member, said he appreciated the chance to serve with Cheatham, even though they occasionally had disagreements.
"She had a lot of passion," Leas said. "It will be a tough seat to replace. I appreciate what she did and her service."
The last time the board filled a vacancy was in October 2013 after Riggs stepped down with one year left in his term at the time. He decided to run for the seat when it came up for election and beat Lisa Clark, who had been appointed to replace him.
Dave Perozek can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWADaveP.
NW News on 08/11/2015