Three men have filed for the Pea Ridge School Board seat being vacated by Joshua Ramsey, who is not seeking re-election.
Joseph Carlson, Jeffrey Cato and Johnnie Dye filed with the Benton County Clerk's Office. Carlson and Dye filed Monday, July 7, and Cato filed Tuesday, July 8. The deadline to file was noon Tuesday.
"With the level of work we've accomplished and the changes in my life," Ramsey said, "we've decided it best to leave the position for someone who can come in and commit the time and energy to it that it needs."
Ramsey, who served one term on the board and two years as board president, said both of his sons have graduated from Pea Ridge High School.
"We've started a church," he said. He is the pastor of Bountiful Grace Baptist Church.
"The primary function of the School Board is to insure that the taxpayers' money is spent wisely. I've worked with three different superintendents. The superintendent is the only person who reports directly to the board. We've managed that transition very effectively. I'm very pleased with where we are now and the leadership we have in place," Ramsey said.
Speaking to his replacement, Ramsey said: "Be very sure you don't come in with any personal agenda.
"Come as a servant to the school with the motivation being the education of the children. If you come with your own personal agenda, set that aside and do what's best for the entire district.
"It's okay to voice your opinion, but decisions are best made collectively with all five members working together," Ramsey advised.
Carlson, 34, is a disabled veteran and currently serves as chairman of the Pea Ridge Parks Commission. Carlson said he served two tours of duty in Iraq, one in 2005-2006 and another in 2008. Prior to being disabled, he said he worked as a computer technician at the Walmart ISD building. He and his wife, Crystal, have three children -- a 14-year-old who will be a freshman, a 10-year-old who is entering fifth grade and an 8-year-old who will be going into third grade.
Jeffrey Cato, 45, is a mechanical engineer. He works for Walmart Distribution in the Corporation Maintenance Department. Cato's wife, Ann, was elected to the Pea Ridge School Board in 2010 and currently serves as the president of the board. they have four children -- a daughter who graduated from Pea Ridge High School in May 2014, a senior in high school, an eighth-grader and a sixth-grader.
Johnnie Dye, 37, is a certified public account and works for Coffman & Co. He and his wife, Bobbie Jo, own Dye Hards Gym in Pea Ridge. They have three children -- a 10-year-old who is going into fifth grade; a 7-year-old who is going into second grade; and a 3-year-old.
General News on 07/09/2014