Bentonville School Board seat up for election

BENTONVILLE -- Those eligible and interested in running for the School Board's Zone 6 seat must act soon.

The filing period begins at noon Wednesday and lasts exactly one week. The election will be held in conjunction with the general election Nov. 6.

The Zone 6 seat is the only one up for election this year. Matt Burgess is completing his first term as the Zone 6 representative. He said last week he intends to run for a second term.

No one else has publicly announced an intention to run. There has been at least one contested race for a Bentonville School Board seat each year since 2008.

Zone 6 includes parts of central and south Bentonville. Schools in the zone include Fulbright Junior High, Bright Field Middle, Creekside Middle, Central Park Elementary, Osage Creek Elementary and Willowbrook Elementary.

Residents must live in the zone to run for the seat or vote in the election. The winner of the election gets a five-year term. School board seats in Arkansas are unpaid positions.

Those who'd like to get their name on the ballot must file a petition with at least 20 signatures of qualified registered voters from the zone, a political practice pledge and an affidavit of eligibility with the Benton County clerk. Petition forms are available at any of the county clerk's offices and online at vote.bentoncountyar.gov.

Act 910 of the 2017 legislative session changed the timing of school board elections from the third Tuesday of September to either May or November. The law took effect this year.

The law allows each school board to choose whether to hold its election during the primary election in May or the general election in November or, during odd-numbered years, the date the primary or general election would occur if it were an even-numbered year.

Bentonville was one of 33 boards in the state, and the only one in Northwest Arkansas, that chose to hold its election in November. The other 202 districts chose May. Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special school districts are among the others going in November, according to the Arkansas School Boards Association.

Under Act 910, districts may continue to hold school millage elections any time, as long as they don't occur after the board elections. Bentonville board members opted for the November date to retain greater flexibility in terms of timing in case they wanted to call for a millage election.

Burgess, 47, won his first board term in September 2013, defeating incumbent Rudy Upshaw. His victory came the same day Bentonville voters approved a millage increase to build West High School.

Burgess joined the board at a time when several other members were still in their first year on the board. The board has "matured" since then, he said.

"I think we've made a lot of progress in the last five years," Burgess said. "I think the School District is stronger now."

Travis Riggs, the board's president, said there are certain things a person needs to keep in mind if he or she is going to serve on a board.

Don't come to the board with an agenda, but come with an open mind and be a good listener, he said. He also stressed board members must be able to live with the majority's opinion.

"There are seven independent minds on that board," Riggs said. "If four of them are seeing it one way, and you're seeing it the other, you have to let it go and move on. Not all people can do that."

It's also important not to let personal beliefs obscure what's in the district's best interest, he said.

"That's probably one of the more difficult ones we've had to face," Riggs said. "We're charged to protect the district, to govern the district, and sometimes things get presented or recommended by citizens or administrators that may not directly align with some of our personal beliefs. And we have to be able to say, 'I have to make the decision that's in the best interest of the district as a whole.'"

NW News on 07/30/2018