GUY — The Guy-Perkins School Board will have to appoint two people to fill open seats after no one filed for the positions for the upcoming September school election.
Board President Chris Acre, who has served on the five-member board for more than three decades, will leave one of those seats vacant. He represents Zone 5.
The other candidate is first-year board member Daniel Michael, who was appointed to Zone 3. He said he just didn’t have time to file but is open to being reappointed.
Faulkner County Clerk Margaret Darter said having two seats to fill on one school board is unusual.
“I’m not aware of it happening. Generally, they can get someone,” she said.
“They had someone … but we couldn’t qualify them,” Darter said, because the potential candidate did not live in the Guy-Perkins School District.
Acre, 64, said the time is right for him to leave, adding that the district is in good shape.
“We’re off fiscal distress; I think we’ve got a good board. I think we made a real good hire in [Superintendent] Shade Gilbert.
I’ve been on [the board] 35-plus years. It’s time to retire.”
The district was notified earlier this month that it has been removed from the Arkansas Department of Education’s fiscal-distress list. Guy-Perkins was put on the list in June 2015 because of declining fund balances, but the district’s financial situation has improved.
Acre said he only had one opponent, and that was the first time he ran.
He listed construction projects in the district as some of the accomplishments he’s overseen during his tenure.
“We’ve been able to build some buildings that we badly needed through the [Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities] Partnership Program with the state Department of Education,” Acre said. “We built the Thunderbird complex, and then we built I guess you’d call it a middle school, there where the high school principal’s office is, and several classrooms.”
Although enrollment has been declining in the 370-student district, Acre said there are pluses to having a small school.
“We’re real high on test scores; they get a real good education. We have small classrooms where they can have some individual help if they need it,” he said.
Michael said he ran unopposed for the school board in September 2016 and voted for himself, but because of a glitch in the system, the vote wasn’t recorded. He did not receive any votes.
He was then appointed by the board for a one-year term. Those appointed to the school board only serve until the next school election, according to state law.
Faulkner County Clerk Margaret Darter said she’s not sure why Michael’s vote wasn’t recorded.
“There was a mess up on the machine. He could have marked it and punched it again, and if he did that, he unvoted himself,” she said. “I know he intended to vote for himself, but he did not vote for himself.”
Micheal said he would like to continue serving on the school board and is open to being reappointed.
“I was going to run, but I had a lot of things going on this month, and I didn’t have a chance to go get the [paperwork],” he said.
Michael said he is retiring after 40 years in the military. He is a command sergeant major in the 1st Battalion, 114th Aviation Regiment of the Arkansas National Guard.
“I was going to do [file for school board], but I just didn’t. I was swamped. If they appoint me, I’ll do it again. That’s no problem,” Michael said.
According to state statute, a vacancy can be filled by the “majority of the remaining directors,” or the Quorum Court, if the school board fails to do so within 30 days.
Then the secretary of the board has to notify the county clerk within five days about the appointment. The appointed board member has to take the oath of office within 10 days of being appointed.
Darter said the appointed board members can come into her office, or she will go to the school and swear them in. Darter said other officials can do the swearing in for school-board members, including justices of the peace, the county judge or the circuit clerk.
Gilbert, who started as district superintendent July 1, said he doesn’t know why no one filed for the open positions.
“I don’t really know, not knowing the dynamics of the community. Being on the job a few weeks, it’s hard for me to say why,” he said. “I would like to say that they have confidence that our board will appoint quality folks. I’d like to think that.”
Gilbert said “a couple of folks were interested, … but the filing period got obtrusive.”
Teresa Horton, Faulkner County election coordinator, said the county makes the filing process as easy as possible.
She said the forms are available online for school-board candidates, or packets will be mailed to candidates who request them.
Candidates must get 20 signatures of registered voters.
“They have a month or more to get signatures; then anybody can bring their paperwork in,” she said, whether it be a relative or a friend. “It just has to be notarized.”
Gilbert said board members are talking with interested community members about serving on the board. He said he hopes the lack of interest isn’t related to the turnover and controversy regarding the district’s superintendents the past few years.
Robert Stewart was hired as interim superintendent in June 2016 on a one-year contract to replace Brian Cossey, who took a job as principal of Wonderview Elementary School.
Cossey served as Guy-Perkins K-12 principal for four years before being named interim superintendent in January 2013 when former Superintendent David Westenhover resigned, effective at the end of the school year, and was placed on paid administrative leave. Cossey was hired unanimously in 2013 to be the superintendent.
Westenhover was arrested and charged in Faulkner County Circuit Court with two felonies, including theft by receiving for allegedly having a stolen weapon on campus, as well as a misdemeanor charge. Those charges were dropped, according to the online database Arkansas Courtconnect. His son, Joshua, was charged with theft by receiving, a felony, and pleaded guilty, according to Courtconnect. He was sentenced to probation, fined $500 and ordered to pay court costs.
The board recommended that Cossey’s contract be terminated, but he resigned to take the Wonderview position.
Cossey said he doesn’t know why the board made the recommendation. Acre would not comment on the reason, and Stewart said Cossey’s personnel records are not subject to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Gilbert, who lives in Conway, is the former principal of grades nine through 12 in the Nemo Vista School District.
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.