Candidates File For School Board Seats

FARMINGTON — Farmington and Prairie Grove school districts will have races to fill open positions on their respective school boards in the Sept. 15 school elections.

Two candidates have filed for Position 3 on Farmington School Board: incumbent Tony Parsley and challenger Wade Cash.

Prairie Grove has two open seats on its school board. Incumbent William Dick is unopposed for Position 2 and two newcomers have filed for Position 5: Casie Ruland and Mark Beaver. Beth Everett currently represents this position and she did not run for re-election.

In Lincoln, only one candidate filed for each position. Nick Brewer, who was appointed to Zone 3 on Sept. 30, 2014, is running unopposed to remain in the seat. Lisa Reed is seeking to represent Zone 2 on Lincoln School Board. Board President Jim Ayers did not run for re-election for Zone 2.

Parsley, 51, is running for his second five-year term on Farmington School Board. He is a plumber and works for Washington Regional Medical Center. He has a daughter who will be in 10th grade at the high school next year.

Parsley said he is running for re-election because he likes to be involved with the school.

“We have construction projects going on and I want to continue to be involved in those,” Parsley said. “I like being there and doing what I’m doing and hopefully, I’ll get to return.”

Cash, 44, is self-employed and a work-at-home dad. He holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration and a master of science degree in geology.

Cash said he is interested in running for school board because he has children in the Farmington School District.

“These are exciting and crucial times for the Farmington School District and I would like to be a representative for the community by working with the school board, teachers, and district personnel,” Cash said in an email. “Having children that will be in the district for the next 12 years, it is very important to me that Farmington’s schools are the best they can be.”

Mark Beaver, 45, is an electrician in Prairie Grove and has a child who will be a junior at Prairie Grove High School. He is a graduate of Prairie Grove.

Beaver said he is running for the Position 5 seat on Prairie Grove School Board because he wants to be a part of the community and wants to help out. As far as goals as a school board member, he said he would like to see facilities upgraded and more opportunities for students.

Ruland was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.