School District must be zoned
For the first time in its 54-year history as an independent school district, the Pea Ridge School District will be divided into zones and the School Board members will be elected by voters from those zones. The five board members have heretofore been elected at large.
With the release of the 2020 census, it was revealed that the numbers of students from a minority has nearly doubled.
Pea Ridge School superintendent Keith Martin said the 2020 census revealed a 17.2% minority population of the 10,046 total school district population compared to the 2010 numbers of 9.14% minority of a total of 7,990.
Martin plans to give a presentation to School Board members at the September board meeting explaining what will be required by the board and the timelines by which the steps must be taken.
The law (ACA 6-13-631) requires any board of a community having a combined minority population of more than 10% create zones. The law provides that a school district that attains 10% minority population out of the total population shall elect board members in compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 as amended.
The board must adopt a resolution to authorize members to create the zones. There are three options available. They may create five zones and have a fivemember board; create five zones and have a seven-member board with two members elected at large; or create seven zones with seven members. This must be at least 120 days before the filing deadline for the annual school election (Nov. 2).
The resolution will be presented to the Pea Ridge School Board at the September board meeting.
Martin said a demographer will draw the zones.
Martin said: “Yes, Pea Ridge School District will be zoning its School District for School Board representation at the spring 2022 election which will be held May 24, 2022.”
“I think we’re just at that stage as a community,” Jeff Neil, president of the School Board, said. “It’s a good thing and it’s meant to protect all of our citizens.”
“We need to be aware as a community, we may be doing this every 10 years,” Neil added.
He said that many more districts will have to have zones than won’t.
“I feel like the board is a pretty good reflection of the district already,” Neil said. “I don’t feel like it will change the dynamics.”
Neil said he believes one of the misconceptions about serving on the School Board is that a citizen could gain personally from being on the board.
“The board is the most thankless job in all elected officials as you gain nothing from the board, except the satisfaction of being able to serve the kids,” Neil said. “You gain nothing from the board, yet you’re dealing with the thing folks hold most near and dear to their hearts.”
“I hope that whoever will serve in the future, with the zones, will keep that in mind — it’s about the kids,” Neil said.
The 2021 census numbers reveal that the minority population in the Pea Ridge School District has risen from 9.14% in 2010 to 17.2% in 2020.
All school board positions will be up for re-election.
To be a candidate, a person must be a registered voter, reside within the zone to be represented and reside in the Pea Ridge School District.
The annual school election is May 24, 2022. The opening of the candidate filing period is Feb. 22, 2022.
“I don’t feel like it will change the dynamics.”
Jeff Neil School Board president