IN SHORT: Lawrence and Stuthard oust Wood and Gililland from PCSSD, tilting power toward teachers union.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers and the Pulaski Association of Support Staff won big Tuesday in the Pulaski County Special School District school board election, replacing two anti-union incumbents with candidates of their own choosing.
Former teacher Gloria Lawrence defeated Charlie Wood for the Zone 4 Sherwood seat 1,080-364, while Tom Stuthard defeated Danny Gililland 515-367 to represent Zone 5 in northwest Jacksonville and north Pulaski County.
The unions needed to pick up only one seat to shift the balance of power and thus effectively put a stop to the heated and expensive effort to decertify the unions as the collective bargaining agents for the district’s employees.
Both Wood and Gililland served one term on the board and worked to decertify the unions.
Lawrence taught 23 years at Sylvan Hills Middle School, where she was a PACT member. She retired in June. She ran in support of PACT.
Stuthard, a Jacksonville resident, campaigned on change. He wants to curb spending and is amenable to firing bad teachers.
He’s an Air Force veteran. His wife is a district teacher and a union member. They are parents of two PCSSD graduates. He is a postal worker.
