Fort Smith School Board has 30 days to fill vacant post
by January 28, 2025 6:58 pm 845 views
The Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education has 30 days to fill the position left vacant when board member Talicia Richardson resigned Monday (Jan. 27) or the position could be filled for them.
Talicia Richardson resigned from the board Monday amid the controversy regarding the reassignment of Felix Curry, former head football coach for Northside High School.
Curry was told Dec. 10 that his contract as the head football coach for Northside High School would not be renewed for the coming year. On Dec. 11, he was reassigned to a non-coaching position in the Fort Smith School District. The district has provided no reason for the action. Curry was named the head football coach at Northside in 2022 after the retirement of Mike Falluer. Prior to that, he was the defensive coordinator and head track coach.
Arkansas Code 6-13-611 states that if a vacancy occurs on the school district board of education, the vacancy shall be filled by the appointment of an individual who is a qualified elector of the school district and who resides in the same zone. That appointment can be made by a majority of the remaining board members or the Sebastian County Quorum Court if there are several vacancies at the same time, resulting in less than a majority of the board remaining, or the school board fails to fill the vacancy within 30 days.
The school board is no stranger to having to fill a position outside of school board elections. Then Board President Dee Blackwell resigned in June 2023 for health reasons. The school board voted to appoint Susan Krafft to the Zone III board vacancy during a special called board meeting July 12, 2023. Kraft then ran for and was elected to the position March 5, 2024.
“We have 30 days to fill the position per Arkansas law, so I’ve asked the district to go ahead and post the position and seek applications, in line with the same process employed when Susan Krafft was selected. We will have a special meeting in a few weeks to discuss whether to have interviews, make a selection, or how the board wants to proceed otherwise,” Board President Dalton Person said Tuesday (Jan. 28).
As of Tuesday afternoon, the vacant position was not yet posted on the district’s Board of Education page. However, Richardson had been removed from the page as one of the board members.
“We are looking into the appointment process and doing research due to the timing of Talicia’s resignation,” said Allan Marshall, chief communications and engagement officer.
Richardson represented Zone 4 on the board. Her term was set to expire in 2026. It is not clear if the person appointed to fill the position would have to then run for election during the spring school election or if their term would continue to 2026. School elections are set for May 13. Board Member Matt Blaylock’s at-large position is up for election this year.
School board candidates must be a qualified registered voter of the school district and the electoral zone; a U.S. citizen; an Arkansas resident; and a resident of the school district and, if elected from zones, the respective electoral zone. They must not be an employee of the school district and never have been convicted, plead guilty, or plead nolo contendere of embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery or other infamous crime, according to state law.
Candidate filing period for school elections is noon Feb. 24 to noon March 3, according to information on the FSPS website.