Two in race for Rogers School Board Zone 3 seat

ROGERS -- Two former co-workers at Heritage High School are competing for a School Board seat in the May 18 election.

Suzanne Spivey, 61, is the incumbent. The board appointed Spivey in March 2020 to fill a vacant Zone 3 seat. She must stand for election in order to retain the seat for the remaining four years on the term.

Ashley Pledger, 38, is also seeking the position. Pledger began working for the district in 2005 and was among the staff that opened Heritage High School in 2008, where she was library media specialist. She continued working at Heritage until 2019, when she became library media specialist at Siloam Springs High School.

School board is an unpaid position in Arkansas.

Spivey retired in 2011 after nearly 30 years in education, most of which she spent in Rogers. She was head of the freshman academy at Heritage for a few years before she retired. She previously taught at Elmwood Junior High School.

Spivey said she's enjoyed her one year on the board. She believes the district of about 15,300 students has done a "fantastic" job, especially in its response to the covid-19 pandemic. She also said she's impressed by the work Superintendent Marlin Berry has done in his first five years on the job.

There's still room for improvement, she said. She's like to see attention paid to student's preparation for life after high school.

"That's an area I would like to see us work on, to help students visualize what their next step is after high school and career preparation," Spivey said.

Spivey sees growth as the biggest issue facing Rogers. She also wants to ensure students and staff always have "beautiful" facilities in which to work.

Spivey has two adult children. She said she was privileged to work for the district, and when the opportunity came up to serve on the board, she saw it as a way to give back to the community.

"Also, I feel like I am an asset and can continue to be an asset because I understand teachers," Spivey said. "I understand their stress levels. I understand what they go through and I understand students. I understand that school is a safe place for some kids. I understand kids. I want to be a voice for teachers and a voice for students."

Pledger, a National Board certified teacher, has worked in education for over 15 years. She's served on the Arkansas Education Association board of directors for six years. She's a former president of the Rogers Education Association. As a library media specialist, she works with students and teachers across all academic content areas.

She said all of these things give her a great perspective for a school board member.

"I know what we're doing well. I know what works and what doesn't work," Pledger said.

She said she's running to make sure all students, teachers and parents get the support they need. She'd like to see the district implement a block schedule at the secondary level. Block scheduling typically means longer class periods that meet fewer times each day and week, as opposed to the traditional system of six or seven 40-50 minute daily periods.

Siloam Springs High School, where Pledger works, runs on a block schedule, which Pledger called a "game changer." She said it provides more time for teachers to teach a lesson and make sure students master the material before they go home. Many Rogers teachers who support her "desperately" want block scheduling, Pledger said.

Ashley Siwiec, communications director for the Rogers schools, said a district committee examined the block schedule possibility about seven years ago, but didn't recommend it out of concern for highly mobile students being able to stay on track with their credits when they transferred in or out.

"But it is something that can always be looked at again," Siwiec said.

Pledger worked in Rogers for 15 years and left for Siloam Springs because she saw it as an opportunity to grow professionally and learn firsthand how other schools operate and solve problems, she said.

Early voting begins Tuesday. Zone 3 covers a portion of the district east of downtown and south of Beaver Lake. Only those who live in the zone are eligible to vote.