Travis Jackson won the May 21 election for Zone 5 of the Siloam Springs School Board by three votes.
Jackson received 11 votes (57.89%) while Bobby Reed received eight votes (42.11%) according to unofficial results published on the Benton County Election Commission website, vote.bentoncountyar.gov.
In addition Grant Loyd, who ran uncontested for Zone 1, received eight votes. He was required to receive at least one vote to keep his position. Registered voters were only allowed to vote in the school board zone in which they live.
Election coordinator Kim Dennison confirmed the unofficial results on Friday morning and said the election commission planned to meet Friday afternoon, after press time, to make the results final. There are no provisional ballots or overseas military ballots still out in Siloam Springs so the numbers are not likely to change, she said.
Each of the Siloam Springs School Board's five members serve rotating five-year terms, so in most election cycles only one seat is open. However, two long-term board members resigned over the past year and new members were appointed to fill their positions. State law requires that appointed positions go up for a vote during the next election cycle.
Jackson has served on the school board since August when he was appointed to fill the seat left open by Brent Butler's resignation in July. Reed was one of three other candidates that applied for the appointment last August and he filed to be on the ballot in February.
Jackson will continue to serve out the remaining one year of Butler's term before the position comes up for election in 2020.
Loyd served on the school board since January when he was appointed to fill the vacancy left open by Roger Holroyd, whose position was up for election this month. Loyd will continue to serve the next five year term until his position comes up for election in 2024.
A total of 37 people voted in the millage election -- 10 more than voted for school board candidates, according to the county website. Twenty-nine (78.38%) voted in favor of the tax and eight (21.62%) voted against it.
The millage issue on the ballot can be confusing because the state requires it to be on the ballot every year even though there is no change from the current rate of 45 mills, according to Superintendent Ken Ramey.
If the issue were to be voted down, the rate would return to what it was last year, which was also 45 mills, effecting no change, he said.
Dennison said it was likely that more people voted on the millage issue than for the candidates because only residents from Zone 1 and Zone 5 could vote for the candidates from their zones, but residents from any school board zone could vote on the millage issue.
General News on 05/26/2019