Two School Board seats open; filing to begin

The annual school board election season is beginning.

Pea Ridge has two positions on which to vote.

Jeff Neil, appointed by the current School Board on March 16 to fill a vacancy created when former School Board member Braxton Hurst moved out of the district, said he will run for the seat which expires in 2018.

Ann Cato, current board president, said she will resign effective June 25 because she is moving out of the district. Cato’s seat expires this year; she is not seeking re-election.

Each of the five Pea Ridge School Board seats rotate, with one board member facing election every year.

This week marks the start, for those interested in running for school board, of circulating petitions to do so. Candidates may file their petitions between June 30 and July 7. Elections will be held Sept. 15.

Board candidates must file petitions with at least 20 signatures from registered voters within the school district they represent to appear on ballots. They must be qualified voters and live in the district for which they’re running.

Those interested in running for a position should contact the county clerk for more information and to obtain petition forms. The runoff is Oct. 6. When Neil was appointed, he was one of eight applicants who filed to be appointed to the seat.