Two seek Springdale School Board seat

SPRINGDALE — A real estate broker and a university professor are running to represent Zone 2 on the School Board.

Nick Emerson and Jeff Miller are making their first bids for elected office. The winner will receive a fiveyear term and replace Jeff Williams, who opted not to seek re-election after 10 years on the board.

The election is May 22. Early voting begins Monday.

Emerson, 33, has always lived in Springdale.

The 2003 Springdale High School graduate spent eight years as a firefighter and paramedic with the Springdale Fire Department before launching a career in real estate in 2012.

Miller, 50, is an Oklahoma native who moved to Springdale in 2001 when he was hired at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, as a professor of agricultural communications.

Emerson has three children, the oldest of whom is a first-grader in the school district. Miller has two children who are 10th-graders and who have attended Springdale schools since kindergarten.

Both candidates said they were not motivated to run by any particular issue other than a general desire to ensure quality education for children.

“The most important issue is managing growth and diversity,” Miller said.

That means making sure minority students and those from other countries are fitting in, and it means helping their families understand what the schools can do for their children, he said. It’s something the district does well, he added.

The district also must pay attention to its highest-performing students and communicate to the public the advanced programs it offers, Miller said.

Emerson wants to ensure the district remains welcoming to all students, and they are put on a path to accomplish their goals in life.

“I feel if we can do that, a lot of those kids are going to come back to our community, or will have never left, and they will play a vital role in our community as adults and will give back,” Emerson said.

School board work is entirely volunteer, and both men said they have a record of volunteer service. Miller coached basketball and Little League

baseball for nine years and has been involved in the council at his church. Emerson has coached several youth sports, is a deacon with responsibility for the youth group at Robinson Avenue Church of Christ, and is an ambassador for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce.

Emerson has strong family ties to the district. His wife is a prekindergarten teacher at Shaw Elementary and his mother is a longtime teacher at Tyson Elementary. His father-in-law is a Springdale High School math teacher and his mother-in-law is principal at Shaw.

Emerson said his desire to see kids succeed, his interpersonal skills, and his history with the city and the district are important factors to consider.

“I have a lot of pride when it comes to Springdale and Springdale schools,” he said.

Miller hopes voters will do their homework on the candidates and focus on their qualifications.

“I think as a result of my education, my work experience and my involvement in the community that I’m highly qualified,” he said.

The Springdale Education Association, which represents 450 teachers, has endorsed Miller. It’s the first time the association has endorsed a board candidate, according to President Corrie Tucker.

Both candidates completed a questionnaire and interviewed with an association screening team, which consisted of educators from the elementary, middle and high school level; a classified staff member; and a retired association member, Tucker wrote in an email.

School board elections in Arkansas have been held in September each year for many years. That changed with Act 910 of the 2017 legislative session, which left it up to each board to decide whether to hold elections in May or November. Bentonville is the only board in Northwest Arkansas that chose to hold elections in November this year.