Miller vies for Springdale School Board

SPRINGDALE — A university professor has declared his candidacy for the Springdale School Board.

Jefferson Miller filed last week to run for the Zone 2 board seat held by Jeff Williams, who has said he will not seek re-election. Zone 2 covers the School District’s northwest sector.

Miller, 49, has been a professor of agricultural communications at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville for 17 years. This is his first bid for an elected office.

Springdale School Board elections will be May 22 in conjunction with primary elections.

Miller, who lives on Torrey Street in north Springdale, was the first person to file for either of the two board seats up for election. Michelle Cook filed Monday for re-election to the at-large Position 2 seat.

Miller and his wife, Marci, have two children who attend Har-Ber High School. Miller decided to run in part because he has a lot of experience in education and he comes from a family of educators, he said.

“I felt like this was a good use of my knowledge and skill to give back to my community,” he said.

He added he’s not running with any kind of agenda.

“I’m running with the sole purpose of supporting our school district,” he said.

Miller has been involved in Springdale youth sports programs as a baseball and basketball coach. He’s attended School Board meetings for the past six months to better understand what’s happening in the district, he said.

Miller is a native of Mustang, Okla. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla.; a master’s degree in English from Oklahoma State University; and a doctorate in agricultural education from Oklahoma State.

Miller