By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
Candidates who wish to run for local school board positions must file their petition during the period from Friday, July 11 through noon on Friday, July 18.
This year’s filing deadline is 60 days before the school board election and 15 days earlier than the filing deadline of previous years.
The only open school board seat in Cabot is Position 5, a five-year term held by Alan Turnbo.
Turnbo was first elected in 1998 and is the Cabot school board’s current vice president. Reportedly, he will seek the seat again.
In Beebe, the Position 2 seat held by Tommy Vanaman is open. In Beebe, candidates run at large for positions. Vanaman’s term is five years and he is running again.
The Zone 7 Pulaski County Special School District seat held by Gwen Williams comes open in September.
Williams said recently that she would seek reelection.
Two seats will be opening up on the Lonoke School District Board. In Lonoke, Mike Brown says heintends to file for reelection to the Zone 1, Position 4 seat he holds.
Miles Lilly, appointed when Jimmy Threat moved out of the district and resigned, has said he won’t run for the Zone 2, Position 1 seat he now holds.
In the PCSSD, only Williams’ Zone 7 seat affects north Pulaski patrons.
That zone includes patrons whose children formerly would have attended Adkins Elementary School, now a pre-kindergarten program, and Harris and Scott elementary schools.
The other seat coming open covers Maumelle area schools and is currently held by Pam Roberts.
Three other school board members have north Pulaski County patrons in their districts, but those seats don’t come open this year.
In Zone 5, Danny Gilliland’s constituents include those who would attend Arnold Drive, Bayou Meto, Cato, Dupree and Tolleson elementary schools, North Pulaski High School and Northwood Middle School.
In Zone 4, school board president Charlie Wood’s constituents include those who would attend Sherwood and Sylvan Hills elementary schools, Sylvan Hills Middle School and Sylvan Hills High School.
In Zone 6, Bill Vasquez’s pa-trons are in attendance zones for Jacksonville, Pinewood and Taylor elementary schools, Jacksonville Boys and Girls Middle Schools and Jacksonville High School.
Staff writers Heather Hartsell and Joan McCoy contributed to this report.
