Bentonville School Board election to be held Tuesday

Bentonville School District administration building.
Bentonville School District administration building.

BENTONVILLE -- A race for the Zone 4 seat on the Bentonville School Board will be decided Tuesday.

Amanda Deegan Winters is challenging incumbent Willie Cowgur for the position. The winner gets a five-year term on the seven-person board.

Early voting in the election began last week at the Benton County clerk's office at 215 E. Central Ave., Suite 217. Through Friday, 119 people had voted, according to the office. Early voting continues from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday at the same office.

The Bentonville Church of Christ at 708 N. Walton Blvd. will serve as the only polling site Tuesday. It will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Zone 4 consists mainly of northeast Bentonville -- north of Central Avenue and east of North Walton Boulevard -- and southeast Bella Vista. Only those who live in the zone are eligible to vote in this election.

Cowgur, 42, has served on the board since 2011. He and his wife have three children enrolled in the School District. Cowgur is senior director of health and wellness operations at Sam's Club.

Cowgur is a Bentonville native and Bentonville High School graduate. He is proud of the district's various accomplishments during his time on the board, including an improved graduation rate, establishing the Ignite career education program for high school students, setting up a virtual school and maintaining a healthy fund balance.

"I just feel like we have a lot of momentum with what we're getting done and want to continue to be a part of it, continue to serve the community and ensure our kids are getting the best quality education," he said.

Winters, 38, is making her first bid for a public office. She and her husband have one child enrolled in the district. They moved to Bentonville from Washington, D.C., three years ago. Winters is director of global public policy at Walmart.

She is running on a platform of "welcome, support and grow" -- welcoming new families to the community, helping support teachers and students, and helping the district continue to grow, she said.

Winters believes she offers a different perspective as someone who's relatively new to town. She also moved around a lot as a child, so she understands the challenges kids and families may face when moving to a new region, she said.

NW News on 11/04/2019

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