School board filing period open

The filing period is open for two Siloam Springs School Board positions up for election in May.

Candidates interested in filing for the Zone 1 and Zone 5 school board seats have from noon, Feb. 13 to noon, Feb. 20 to submit their petitions to the County Clerk's Office, located at 707 S. Lincoln St.

Each of Siloam Springs School Boards' five members serve rotating five-year terms, so in most elections only one seat is open. However, two longtime school board members resigned over the past year and new members were appointed to fill their seats. State law requires that appointed positions go up for a vote during the next election cycle.

Currently, the Zone 1 position is held by Grant Loyd, who was appointed just last week to fill a vacancy left open by Roger Holroyd's resignation in January. Holroyd had held the position since 2009, but left to take a job in Fort Smith. The winner of the election will serve a five-year term.

The Zone 5 position is held by Travis Jackson, who was appointed in August. It was left empty when Brent Butler announced his resignation in July. Butler, who served as a board member since 2000, moved outside the district. The person who wins the Zone 5 election will be required to run again the following year, when the Zone 5 school board term is up in 2020.

Overall, a total of 24 school board positions are up for election in Benton and Washington Counties on May 21, according to a report in the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

In 2017, the state legislature gave school districts the option to either hold their elections during the May primary or the November general election. Bentonville is the only Northwest Arkansas school district that opted to hold elections in November. The region's other 14 districts have May elections, the report states.

In order to be qualified to file a petition, candidates must live in the school board zone they represent and be a registered voter. They must also submit a petition with at least 20 signatures from registered voters who live within their zone.

For more information, call the school district at 479-524-3191.

General News on 02/13/2019