School board filing period begins Feb. 22 with numerous seats available across Northwest Arkansas

Nearly two dozen school board seats are up for election across Benton and Washington counties this spring.

The period for candidates to file to run for one of those seats begins at noon Feb. 22 and lasts until noon March 1. Elections will be May 9.

Most Arkansas school districts hold board elections in May. Some choose to do elections in November, in which case the filing period is in August.

Bentonville typically holds a November vote, though that board has no seats up for election this year.

The other 14 districts in Benton and Washington counties all have at least one seat up for election in May.

In Sebastian County, the Fort Smith School District typically holds a spring board election, but no members' terms are expiring this year. Board members Sandy Dixon and Dee Blackwell will be up for election next year.

All those who win their elections receive five-year terms, unless they are running to fill an unexpired term. Such situations exist when board members resign before their term runs out. All school board positions are unpaid and nonpartisan.

Those interested in running for a board seat should contact their county clerk for petitions and other information.

Board candidates must file petitions with at least 20 signatures from registered voters within the school district or from within the zone they would represent to appear on ballots. While some seats represent specific zones within a district, other seats are at-large and thus represent the entire district. Candidates must be qualified voters and live in the district or zone for which they're running. They also may file a notice of write-in candidacy with their county clerk.

The Springdale School Board has two seats open this spring: an at-large position held by Michelle Cook and the Zone 2 seat held by Nick Emerson.

Cook wrote in a text message she intends to run for a third term. She has served since 2013, when she beat Brian Moore for the job. She then ran unopposed in 2018 for her second term.

Emerson is finishing his first term on the board. He defeated Jeff Miller in his first run for the board in 2018. Emerson did not return an email message last week seeking comment on whether he plans to run again.

The Rogers School Board's only seat up for election is for Zone 2. Curtis Clements, who currently holds the seat, said last week he had not decided yet whether he'll run for reelection. Clements has served on the board for 12 years, the longest of any of its seven members.

And in Fayetteville, the only seat up for election this year is an at-large position held by Keaton Smith, who did not return a message last week seeking comment. Smith was elected to his first term in 2018.

Maribel Childress, superintendent of the Gravette School District, said she encourages anybody interested in running for a school board seat to speak to a current or former board member for their perspective on what it's like. She also welcomed anybody from the Gravette district to contact her for information on what the job entails.

Good board members typically are good listeners who also understand and appreciate what a school district needs to do -- both in the short term and the long term -- to be successful, she said.

"And someone who is respectful, because in our position, we get input from a lot of different groups, organizations, agencies. So I think it's important that we be respectful to all ideas," Childress said. "It doesn't mean we'll all agree, but we are all part of the same community and in the end, we all want the same thing, which is the best thing for our kids."

Common sense and organizational skills are also important traits for board members, said Steven Watkins, superintendent of the Decatur School District.

Watkins also pointed out board service can be time-consuming. It's about more than showing up at a meeting once a month.

"Being visible at ballgames and band concerts and plays and things like that are very important for board members," he said.

Decatur's board of five has seen no change in members since Watkins took over as superintendent in July 2018. That stability has been helpful to the district, he said.

School board elections

The following is a list of seats on each Northwest Arkansas school district’s board of education that are up for election this spring and the term length the election winner will receive. The current occupant of each seat is listed in parentheses. Elections will be May 9.

BENTON COUNTY

Decatur

• Zone 1, three years of unexpired term (Karen Davis)

• Zone 5, five years (Ike Owens)

Gentry

• Zone 2, five years (Chad Amos)

• Zone 4, four years of unexpired term (Stacy Nations)

Gravette

• Zone 5, three years of unexpired term (Tracy Moorman)

• At-large, Position 2, five years (Brad Harris)

Pea Ridge

• Zone 1, five years (Adam Yager)

Rogers

• Zone 2, five years (Curtis Clements)

Siloam Springs

• Zone 3, five years (Audra Farrell)

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Elkins

• Zone 4, five years (Jeff Barnett)

Farmington

• Zone 1, five years (Josh Petree)

Fayetteville

• At-large, Position 2, five years (Keaton Smith)

Greenland

• Zone 3, three years of unexpired term (Patrick Anderson)

• Zone 4, two years of unexpired term (Audrey Fillmore)

• Zone 5, two years of unexpired term (Hunter Vinson)

• At-large, four years of unexpired term (Blake Holte)

Lincoln

• Zone 4, five years (Oleta Connor Danforth)

Prairie Grove

• Zone 5, five years (Wes Mahaffey)

Springdale

• Zone 2, five years (Nick Emerson)

• At-large, Position 2, five years (Michelle Cook)

West Fork

• Zone 1, one year of unexpired term (Anthony Foster)

• Zone 2, five years (Justin Collins)

• Zone 4, one year of unexpired term (Mark Reed)

Source: Benton and Washington county clerks