LITTLE ROCK — Today is election day in Arkansas’ 239 school districts.
Polls will be open 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. in most locations across the state.
The exceptions could be in districts and school board election zones where there are no contested school board races and no proposed changes in the property tax rates. School boards in those cases had the option to conduct this year’s election through early and absentee voting.
Arkansas Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell said Monday that the annual school elections with their choices on tax rates and school board members are “vitally important” to each community.
“We are really pulling for people to come out and support their schools,” Kimbrell said. “There are several districts in the state that are asking for millage increases ... to provide for their facilities,” Kimbrell said.
Other districts are asking voters to approve changes in how the money generated by the local tax rate is spent, he said. Tax mills originally earmarked to pay off building debts would be designated for maintenance and operations, if voters approve.
“Of course we have a lot of board elections,” Kimbrell said. “We hope that the people who are running for the board have an understanding of what their purpose is and that they have kids at heart. It’s a thankless job. School board members to me are the most underappreciated public servants that we have.”
Voters in the Greenland and Decatur school districts that were taken over by the state in 2008 because of severe financial problems, are voting today on school board members who will assume local control of their respective districts in October after they receive training on board responsibilities.
In all, 34 school districts with headquarters in 24 of Arkansas’ 75 counties are seeking property tax increases or other other adjustments in their tax rates.
The Jonesboro, Fayetteville, Springdale and Conway districts are among the school systems seeking property tax increases this year.
The Palestine-Wheatley School District is seeking the largest millage increase at 7.9 mills, which would change the district’s overall tax rate from 28.9 to 36.8 mills. The money generated by the increase would be used for construction in the St. Francis County district in east Arkansas.
The annual school elections in Pulaski County this year feature one contested school board race in Little Rock and two contested races in the Pulaski County Special School District.
Polling places will be open today only in those three zones. All voting in other zones in Little Rock and Pulaski County Special districts, and in the entire North Little Rock district, had to be done through absentee and early voting that ended Monday.
In North Little Rock, the unopposed candidates had to get at least one vote during absentee and early voting to earn a school board seat.
They are incumbent Dorothy “Dot” Williams in Zone 1, which covers a large area, mostly east of Interstate 30 and north of Lynch Drive, and incumbent Ron Treat in Zone 4, which represents an area generally between MacArthur Drive and Camp Robinson Road.
Former School Board member Bobby Gosser Jr., was on the ballot as an unopposed candidate for the board’s Zone 6 seat. He resigned from the board on Aug. 18 and said he won’t serve. Election and school district officials say he must either decline to be sworn in or re-submit a resignation.
In the Little Rock district, incumbent Micheal Daugherty and challenger Michael Nellums are vying for the School Board’s Zone 2 position that represents a central section of the city.
Daugherty has received several donations from Arkansas Education Association officials, including Rich Nagel, the executive director. Daugherty has also received a donation from Bishop Steven Arnold of St. Mark Baptist Church. Nellums received donations from several physicians and from University of Arkansas at Little Rock administrator Jesse Mason, a former City Director.
Greg Adams is running unopposed for Little Rock’s Zone 4 school board position that represents northwest Little Rock.
In the Pulaski County Special district, incumbent Charlie Wood faces challenger Gloria Lawrence for Zone 4 in Sherwood.
Incumbent Danny Gililland faces challenger Tom Stuthard for Zone 5 in northeast Pulaski County.
Lawrence and Stuthard were endorsed and financially supported by the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers. Wood and Gililland’s contributors included the Pulaski County Administrators Action Network, an organization of principals and other administrators in the district.
While most school districts are not seeking any change in their tax rates, they still have to put their tax rates on the ballot.
All school districts are required by Article 14, Section 3 of the Arkansas Constitution to include tax rates on the ballot. If no change is proposed, then districts ask voters to vote on a district’s current rate.
In that case, no matter what voters decide, the millage rate will remain at the same level last approved by voters.
The school tax rate in North Little Rock will continue at 40.9 mills. The Little Rock district will remain at 46.4 mills. The Pulaski County Special district rate will continue at 40.7 mills.
Voting on millage rates in the three Pulaski County school districts had to be done through early voting or absentee voting - except in the school board election zones where there is a contested race for school board positions.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 09/21/2010