School Board election is Sept. 17

Four men are vying for the Pea Ridge School Board seat currently held by Darin Wright, who is seeking a second term. The School Board election is Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Each of the men express a personal investment in the school system with children attending the school. One, Ron Mullikin, served on the School Board several years ago.

The candidates are John Dye, Braxton Hurst, Ron Mullikin and Darin Wright.

John Dye is a certifi ed public account and partner in a CPA firm in Bentonville. He is married to Bobbye Jo Dye; they own Dye Hards Gym, which he refers to as a community investment the couple made more than fi ve years ago. They have three children, two of whom are in the Pea Ridge School system - a fourth-grader and a fi rst-grader, and one toddler. Dye said he has no relatives employed by the Pea Ridge School District. A native of Seligman, Mo., he graduated from Southwest High School, Washburn, Mo.

Braxton Hurst is a planner in the Walmart home o◊ce. He is married to Courtney Hurstand they have two daughters, Gracyn, 4, and Kamryn, 8 months. Hurst’s wife, Courtney, is a teacher in the Pea Ridge school district. A native of Rison, he is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.

Ron Mullikin is the manager of No-Limit Logistics in Pea Ridge. He is not married. He has three sons who attend school in the Pea Ridge School District, they are in the second, third and fifth grades. He has a grandson who will enter kindergarten in two years. He said he has no relatives who work in the school district. A native of Brighton, Iowa, he graduated fromWashington High School in Washington, Iowa, attended Ellsworth Community College and the University of Phoenix.

Darin Wright, the incumbent, is self-employed and is a full-time student at CTU, planning to graduate in 2014 with Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. He and his wife, Carman, have two children in the Pea Ridge schools, a first-grader and an eighthgrader. He said he has no relatives employed in the school district. A native of Pea Ridge, he graduated Pea Ridge High School in 1989.

◊◊◊

1. Why are you running for School Board?

Dye - To be involved more in my community and the growth and direction of our school systems. To help provide leadership on the board from a business perspective and, lastly, where my passion is given my Mom was a school teacher for over 30 years at Southwest.

Hurst - I am running for a position on the school board in order to serve the community that we call home. This is where Courtney and I will raise our children, and I want to be an active participant in this community. Not only for my family’s sake but for the entire community.

Mullikin - Though I was not born, nor graduate from school here, Pea Ridge has become home for myself and my three young sons. I have a son, Shane, that graduated from here in 2000. I served on the School Board here when we campaigned to get the new high school.

When deciding where to locate my business, Pea Ridge was my first and only choice. Through my years of personal and business life, I have learned through the school of hard knocks how to handle many different situations and work with many di◊erent kinds of people. Those life’s experiences I believe have prepared me to be a good school board member.

Wright - To help make a di◊erence in the school district in which my children attend. I have had the opportunity in my current term to see the school and city come together to serve the needs of the students such as providing the School Resource Officer to the school district and I would like to see the relationship continue to grow to better serve the students in our district.

1. The Board passed random student drug testing, what is your stance on also drug testing faculty and staff?

Dye - I have no problem with drug testing of faculty and sta◊. We want to hold our students to a standard and it is equally, if not more important, to hold our faculty and sta◊to this standard as well since they are the direct influences on our children during their educational years. There is obviously also the safety of the students that must be kept a priority.

Hurst - I am a firm believer in random drug testing, whether that be for students or sta◊. The fac

ulty and sta◊are some of the most influential people in our kids lives, we should at a minimum hold them to the standards we are holding our students to. Also in order to ensure a safe and productive environment for the students it is my belief that faculty and sta◊ should be included in the

random drug testing policy of the School District.

Mullikin - I would support random drug testing for anyone employed by our school district.

Wright - I feel it shouldn’t be random for faculty and sta◊. These individuals should be willing to step up and take drug testing at any time. Not only are they role models but they are there to teach our children.

1. What do you think about the role of athletics in public education?

Dye - Athletics hold a vital role in our educational programs. There is the physical fi tness aspects that are seen and easily identifiable, but beyond that, there is the level of

cooperative learning, team structure and relationship building that exists in this area of education. I believe what sometimes gets lost in athletics is that the coachesare teachers and the players are students, so to me, this is another area of learning as an extension of the classroom.

Hurst - As an avid sports fan and a student athlete (high school), I believe that athletics play an important role in the development of pre-teens and teenagers. Participating in organized team sports help students develop necessary social skills by learning how to be a team player, working towards a goal, and helps to build self esteem. Athletics also instills a strong work ethic and a will to win which are two of the most important lessons students can learn outside of a classroom.

Mullikin - Athletics can create an opportunity to learn a number of lessons that can help students in their adult life, the same thing can be said for music, drama and a number of other extra-curriculum activities. In most public education institutions some of the larger sports such as football and basketball, make it possible for the schools to o◊er a wide range of other sports to the student body.

Wright - It is always nice to have a good athletic program however, a good education should come first. I have always been an advocate for athletic programs within public education. Being an athlete is a form of education on its own by teaching selfdiscipline and a hard work ethics but it is important to teach them that sports are not everything and that you have to have a good education to succeed in life.

1. What do you see as the biggest challenges to the school district in the next five years? How can you help the board meet these challenges?

Dye - The biggest challenge is handling our continued growth with adequate facilities (which has already been handled well to this point) and continuing to find ways to bring and retain quality teachers into our district. Incentives and pay structure should be continually analyzed to help be competitive and fair.

Hurst - Managing the growth of the district overthe next five years is the biggest challenge to date in my opinion. As a young professional with a growing family I am familiar with what other young families are looking for. Pea Ridge is quite attractive to many age groups, but young families will be key to the continued development of the school district and the city for that matter. I will bring a fresh new perspective to the board to help enable the district to reach these families.

Mullikin - Continuing to build both academically and physically. Academically, we must continue to achieve and exceed the regulated standards as mandated to us, and at the same time help our students be prepared to deal with the real world problems they will face after graduation. Physically, we must ensure the school system has the foresight to see the coming needs in facilities to provide the most positive learning environment possible. The system also must continue to work on both attracting and retaining the very best faculty obtainable. A positive work environment, career development and competitive compensation will all be a part of building the fi nest sta◊and administration.

My past experience on the School Board, as a general manager of a Sam’s Club, director of personnel for a company over 2,500 employees, sitting on my church board of directors, a loaned executive to the Benton County United Way , and a local private business owner have all helped me come to understand how to work with a group of people to achieve a common goal. A school board member has to find a way to work collectively with the other board members, that doesn’t mean that they must always agree, but as an individual member of the board, always work to build a consensus for what is best for the school system. The board, its administration and sta◊need to have a set of common priorities that are clearly understood and known not just by that group, but by the parents and voters of the school district.

Wright - The biggest challenge I see for the school district is keeping up with the growth. The new common core and testing will be an adjustment for the district as well as the teachers. I feel I can help the board meet these challenges based on what we have accomplished in the past five years. During my current term on the school board, the board as a whole have made good decisions such as adding new facilities and updated the existing facilities as well as the hiring of the a new superintendent.

1. There has been much discussion this year about a school security, especially in light of school shootings. What is your opinion of limiting access to campus?

Dye - We defi nitely live in a small school setting and this idea of being able to come and go by students and the outside public has been a benefit to that.

However, we cannot be naïve about what goes on in schools around the country or even in some of our local back yards. As a parent to students, I would rather risk some people getting upset by not being able to walk onto campus freely without security checks, than the alternative of accidentally letting that one person on who changes the landscape of our schools forever. Prevention is a must.

Hurst - I am in agreement that we should do all we can to protect our children. I fully support improving the overall safety of the children while on a campus. I believe that limiting access is one of the best ways to increase the level of safety at our schools. By controlling the number of access points and who can enter the buildings, the faculty and sta◊of the district will be better resourced to protect the children of the district while they are attending school.

Mullikin -I think superintendent Neil has donean excellent job of blending access to our school buildings and maintaining a safe environment. The safety of our children while at school or attending school functions has to be a primary concern.

Wright - I think school security should be a big focus. Our job is to protect the students while they are in our care. By limiting the access is a good idea and limits the ins and outs to each campus. It allows the administrators and personnel to keep up with who is entering and at what times.

1. What do you believe should be done when a student or teacher is caught with drugs? tobacco?

Dye - I believe the process has to be followed out. The proper channels of investigation and due process related to each incident. However, I will say with teachers being held to higher standards, those caught with drugs should face more immediate and severe consequences.

Hurst - My answer to this question is based on the assumption that the guilty party was caught with drugs/tobacco on a school campus. I believe in second chances, which would apply to the latter of the two. Tobacco, those who are caught with tobacco should receive a warning first, upon the second o◊ense; suspension for students no exceptions, teachers should be written up and forfeiture of that day’s pay. When it comes to drugs I am not quite as lenient if either is caught with drugs they should both be removed from the district; teachers should be dismissed and students expelled.

Mullikin - A teacher or student which is caught with illegal drugs on school property should be immediately suspended. It is my belief that an investigation should follow and if found guilty, a teacher should be terminated and the studentshould be expelled. However, I also believe that a teacher or a student that approaches the administration through a building principal or the systems guidance counselor and admits to a substance abuse problem should be allowed to enter a rehabilitation program without fear of termination or being expelled. The problem of tobacco being in the possession of a teacher should be handled through the employee handbook of the school system. The problem of possession of tobacco by a student should be handled as prescribed in the student manual.

Wright - There are currently policies in place for this type of action in the district policy handbook.

This applies to both students and faculty.

1. After reading the school supplies list required of students in the elementary classes, what would your ideas be to get the district in a financial position to supply most of it’s own needs and not relying on the parents to do so. And would you put this critical need to education before any non educational agendas?

Dye - I believe that there are programs in place around the community, whether it be churches or other government assist programs, that most people can meet the needs of school supplies without the school having to increase budget costs to do so. If anything, I think educating parents on being proactive and assisting them in fi nding these relief e◊orts may be where more of the focus should shift. I do not see this as a critical educational need that should derive much attention.

Hurst - In the near future a number of school supplies will no longer be necessary, as technology continues to advance our classrooms will become more connected, better resourced, and paperless. As this trend develops I would like to see the district invest in new technologies that will help reduce the burden on families and the district in regards to supplying students with the necessary materials for today’s classrooms.

Currently our community churches and other charitable organizations do agreat job assisting families with the purchase of school supplies which helps o◊set the burden placed on families. To answer the second part of the question yes I would, I also feel that the school board has done an exceptional job of putting educational needs ahead of non educational ones.

Mullikin - Having three children in either Pea Ridge Primary or Pea Ridge Intermediate, I understand the expense of simply getting the school year started. I believe the problem is not confined to the fi nancial pressure it adds to parents at the beginning of the school year, but also to the financial pressure to our faculty that I believe through the course of the school year makes great personal fi nancial contributions to purchase supplies through the course of the school year. Buying many of these supplies in large lots directly from the retailers or in some cases wholesale would greatly reduce the overall cost of each item purchased.

Whether this can be done as a joint co-op or simply a single school district should create cost savings.

Spending the most money per student in the state doesn’t ensure the best educated students anymore in spending the least amount of money in the state would produce the least educated students. The constant and daily struggle to provide the most education at the lowest cost should always be one of the districts highest priorities. I’m not sure what your defi nition of non-educational agenda would be, if you’re referring to extracurricular activities in our school systems I would hope that di◊erent types of learning exist in all of them. In many cases such as music, drama, and athletics, a number of activities can create a way to o◊set their expense. I do believe the most important single purpose that our school district has, is to prepare our students to succeed after graduation.

Wright - I feel that it is not only the school districts job to provide items for the students but parents as well. I feel that it’s a joint e◊ort, the school provides the resources such as textbooks, facilities and technology equipment; any educational needs to be put as a priority.