Candidates sought for appointment to vacant school board position

— With the resignation of Brenda Willett from the Gentry School Board on Aug. 16, the school district is seeking parties interested in completing the term of the vacant Zone 3 board position.

The term will begin Sept. 21 and will end when a new board member is elected at the September 2011 annual school election, an announcement from Gentry School District superintendent Randy Barrett stated. The appointment to the position will be made at the board’s regular meeting on Sept. 20.The appointee will be eligible to seek a 5-year term at the September 2011 annual school board election, Barrett said.

The vacancy came too late to be filled by ballot at this year’s school board election on Sept. 21.

Interested parties should send a letter to the superintendent’s office expressing their desire to be considered by the school board for appointment. The board requests a brief biography and a stated reason for seeking this position.

All parties submitting a letter of interest will alsobe invited to the Sept. 20 board meeting to introduce themselves and answer any questions board members may have for them. The board will meet at the boardroom located in the school district’s office, at 201 South Giles Ave. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Only residents of Zone 3 are eligible to be appointed to this position. The boundaries of

Zone 3 are as follows:

1. North of Dawn Hill East Road from Highway 59 to Edmondson Road;

2. West of Edmondson Road From Dawn Hill EastRoad To Miller Road;

3. West of Miller from Edmondson Road to Highway 12;

4. South of Highway 12 from Miller Road to Betty Baker Road;

5. East of Betty Baker from Highway 12 to Jerald Shea Road;

6. South of Jerald Shea Road from Betty BakerRoad shore line of SWEPCO Lake; and

7. West of Highway 59 from Dawn Hill East to southern boundary of the district.

Letters may be sent via regular postal mail to

Dr. Randy C. Barrett, Superintendent, Gentry Public School District, 201 South Giles, Gentry, AR 72734; by e-mail with an attached resume to [email protected].

In a related matter, no one filed for the five-year Zone 1 position currently held by Gary Dunlap. With no one on the ballot, Dunlap will continue to serve until he either resigns or is replaced by election at a future school board election.

During the Aug. 16 board meeting, Dunlap said he intended to file but missed the filing deadline. He will be eligible to file prior to the 2011 election to serve the remainder of the five-year term, should he choose to do so.

News, Pages 3 on 09/01/2010