Bentonville School District elections (2017)
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One of the seven seats on the Bentonville School District Board of Education in Arkansas was up for by-district general election on September 19, 2017. In his bid for re-election, incumbent Brent Leas defeated challenger Amy Gillespie.[1][2]
Both Leas and Gillespie participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. Click here to read their responses.
With an average of two candidates per seat and an incumbent seeking another term, the 2017 election followed two district election trends established in the previous four election cycles. Click here to read more.
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Bentonville Board of Education consists of seven members elected to four-year terms. Elections are held by district on a staggered basis so that every year one or two seats are on the ballot in September.[3][4]
School board candidates had to be U.S. citizens and residents of the school district and electoral zone they sought to represent. They could not be employees of the school district or have been convicted of "embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery, or other infamous crime," according to the Arkansas Constitution. To get on the ballot, school board candidates had to file nomination paperwork, which included a petition with signatures from 20 registered voters in the school district, with their county clerk by noon on July 11, 2017.[5][6][7]
To vote in this election, citizens of the school district had to register by August 21, 2017.[7] Photo identification was not required to vote in Arkansas.[8]
Candidates and results
Zone 2
Results
| Bentonville School District, Zone 2 General Election, 4-year term, 2017 |
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|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Brent Leas Incumbent |
71.83% | 510 |
| Amy Gillespie | 28.17% | 200 |
| Total Votes | 710 | |
| Source: Benton County Clerk, "Schoolboard Election," accessed September 19, 2017 | ||
Candidates
Brent Leas 
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Amy Gillespie | ||
|---|---|---|---|
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Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Arkansas elections, 2017
The Bentonville Board of Education election did not share the ballot with any other elections.[1]
Key deadlines
The following dates were key deadlines for Arkansas school board elections in 2017:[7][9]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| July 5, 2017 - July 11, 2017 | Candidate filing period |
| August 21, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| September 10, 2017 | Voter registration deadline for runoff election |
| September 12, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline for general election |
| September 12, 2017 - September 18, 2017 | Early voting period for general election |
| September 19, 2017 | General election date |
| October 3, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline for runoff election |
| October 3, 2017 - October 9, 2017 | Early voting period for runoff election |
| October 10, 2017 | Runoff election date (if needed) |
| October 30, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline for general election |
| November 30, 2017 | Campaign finance reporting deadline for runoff election |
Endorsements
Incumbent Bret Leas was endorsed by Conservative Arkansas, Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards, Zone 3 representative on the Bentonville Board of Education Eric White, and Little Rock School District Superintendent Mike Poore, who previously served as superintendent of Bentonville Public Schools.[10][11][12]
Challenger Amy Gillespie was endorsed by NWACC board of trustees member Deanne Witherspoon.[13]
Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Campaign finance
Candidates received a total of $7,860.72 and spent a total of $7,799.67 in the election, according to the Benton County Clerk.[14]
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bret Leas | $3,759.45 | $3,698.40 | $61.05 |
| Amy Gillespie | $4,101.27 | $4,101.27 | $0.00 |
Reporting requirements
School board candidates in Arkansas had to file two campaign finance reports for the general election. The first report was due on September 12, 2017, and the second report was due on October 30, 2017.[9]
If a runoff election was held for any seat, the candidates who ran in that election had to file an additional two reports. The first report for the runoff election was due on October 3, 2017, and the second report for the runoff election was due on November 30, 2017.[9]
Past elections
To see results from past elections in the Bentonville School District, click here.
What was at stake?
Report a story for this election
Ballotpedia researches issues in school board elections across the United States, but information availability is a challenge for us in many school districts. Please contact us about the issues that impact your local school district. Note that not all submissions may meet Ballotpedia's coverage requirements for inclusion.
Election trends
- See also: School boards in session: 2015 in brief
With an average of two candidates per seat and an incumbent on the ballot, the 2017 election in the Bentonville School District followed two district election trends. The district's 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 elections also had an average of two candidates run per seat on the ballot, and every incumbent whose seat was up for election in those years filed to run for another term.
From 2013 to 2017, incumbents won all of the seats on the ballot two years, and newcomers swept the ballot one year. The other two years saw half of the seats go to incumbents and half go to newcomers.
| School board election trends | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Candidates per seat | Unopposed seats | Incumbents running for re-election | Incumbent success rate | Seats won by newcomers | |
| Bentonville School District | ||||||
| 2017 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2016 | 2.00 | 50.00% | 100.00% | 50.00% | 50.00% | |
| 2015 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | |
| 2014 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 50.00% | 50.00% | |
| 2013 | 2.00 | 0.00% | 100.00% | 0.00% | 100.00% | |
| Arkansas | ||||||
| 2016 | 1.11 | 31.58% | 36.84% | 85.71% | 68.42% | |
| 2015 | 1.45 | 54.55% | 81.82% | 77.78% | 36.36% | |
| 2014 | 1.45 | 54.55% | 72.73% | 62.50% | 54.55% | |
| United States | ||||||
| 2016 | 1.90 | 34.05% | 71.31% | 82.39% | 41.04% | |
| 2015 | 1.72 | 35.95% | 70.37% | 82.66% | 40.81% | |
| 2014 | 1.89 | 32.57% | 75.51% | 81.31% | 38.24% | |
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites school board candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
Survey responses
Both candidates in this race participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates. The following sections display the responses to the survey questions from incumbent Brent Leas and challenger Amy Gillespie.
Hope to achieve
When asked what he hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Leas stated:
| “ | I look forward to continuing to advocate for our students and teachers and supporting their efforts for an exceptional educational delivery. I, also, look forward to helping oversee the building of future schools to manage the foreseeable growth. In addition, I will strongly push for one (or more) of those future buildings be built on the land purchased just the South of Eastern Bella Vista; located off Ford Springs Rd.[15] | ” |
| —Brent Leas (July 6, 2017)[16] | ||
When asked what she hoped to achieve if elected to the school board, Gillespie stated:
| “ | I want to achieve fairness and flexibility in rezoning, work for equity in buildings and programs, build trust with the community through transparency and accountability, develop long term plans the public can depend on with a focus on responsible spending.[15] | ” |
| —Amy Gillespie (July 26, 2017)[17] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidates were asked to rank the following issues by importance in the school district, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. This table displays their rankings:
| Issue importance ranking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issue | Leas ranking | Gillespie ranking | ||
| Expanding arts education | ||||
| Improving relations with teachers | ||||
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | ||||
| Improving post-secondary readiness | ||||
| Closing the achievement gap | ||||
| Improving education for special needs students | ||||
| Expanding school choice options | ||||
Positions on the issues
The candidates were asked to answer nine multiple choice and short answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. A link to their responses can be found below.
About the district
- See also: Bentonville School District, Arkansas
The Bentonville School District is located in Benton County in northwest Arkansas. The county seat is Bentonville. Benton County was home to an estimated 258,291 residents in 2016, according to the United States Census Bureau.[18] The district was the fourth-largest school district in the state in the 2014-2015 school year and served 15,497 students.[19]
Demographics
Benton County outperformed Arkansas as a whole in terms of median household income, higher education, and poverty rate between 2011 and 2015. The median household income in the county was $56,239, compared to $41,371 statewide. Of Benton County residents aged 25 years and older, 30.2 percent had attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 21.1 percent of state residents. The county poverty rate was 10.8 percent, while it was 19.1 percent for the entire state.[18]
| Racial Demographics, 2010-2016[18] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Benton County (%) | Arkansas (%) |
| White | 89.3 | 79.4 |
| Black or African American | 1.9 | 15.7 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.9 | 1.0 |
| Asian | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Two or More Races | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 16.4 | 7.3 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Bentonville School District Arkansas election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Bentonville School District | Arkansas | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Benton County Clerk, "2017 Annual School Election Filing," accessed July 12, 2017
- ↑ Benton County Clerk, "Schoolboard Election," accessed September 19, 2017
- ↑ Bentonville School District, "Board Member Profiles," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ Arkansas School Boards Association, "School Board Members: School Board Elections," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ Arkansas School Boards Association, "School Board Members: Board Candidates," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ 2015 Arkansas Code, "§ 6-14-111 - Candidate filing procedures," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Arkansas Secretary of State, "2017 Annual September School Board Election Dates," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Voting In Arkansas," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 2016 Arkansas Code, "§ 7-6-208 (2016)," accessed July 24, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Brent Leas," July 7, 2017
- ↑ Re-elect Brent Leas Bentonville School District, "Endorsements," accessed September 11, 2017
- ↑ Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "Leas, Gillespie battle for Bentonville School Board seat," September 4, 2017
- ↑ Amy Gillespie for Bentonville School Board, "Endorsements," accessed September 11, 2017
- ↑ Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Taylor Jennings, Benton County & Probate Clerk’s Office Deputy Clerk," November 7, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Brent Leas responses," July 6, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia's school board candidate survey, "Amy Gillespie responses," July 26, 2017
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 United States Census Bureau, "QuickFacts: Benton County, Arkansas; Arkansas," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data, file ccd_lea_052_1414_w_0216161a, 2014-2015," accessed November 16, 2016
| Bentonville School District elections in 2017 | |
| Benton County, Arkansas | |
| Election date: | September 19, 2017 |
| Candidates: | Zone 2: • Incumbent, Brent Leas • Amy Gillespie |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
