Harding, Martinez elected to Fort Smith Public School Board

Maria Martinez won the Zone 4 election for the Fort Smith Public School District Board of Education, with Brad Harding winning the board’s At Large Zone 6 race, according to Tuesday’s (May 13) election results.

Seats up for election in the school board elections included the At-Large Position VI held by Matt Blaylock and the At-Large Position VII held by Davin Chitwood. Blaylock and Chitwood did not seek re-election.

Brittney Hall ran unopposed for the At Large Zone 7 seat.

Martinez received 173 votes, or 64.3%, and Dan Williams had 96 votes, or 35.6%, in the smaller Zone 4 race. In the broader At Large Zone 6 race, Harding received 1,943 votes, or 60.1%, and Carthon received 1,288 votes, or 39.6%.

In her Q&A with Talk Business & Politics, Martinez said her top priority if elected “would be a commitment to every student’s success by addressing academic as well as emotional barriers that can affect learning by fostering a collaborative environment with both teachers and parents.”

“I believe that community engagement and involvement can provide resources and a larger support network for better student outcomes,” she noted.

Harding cited teacher support as his top priority in his Q&A with Talk Business & Politics.

“Supporting teachers would be my top priority because it has the greatest impact on student experience and academic success,” he said. “Everything we do should enable teachers to perform at their best and partner effectively with parents. This includes improving licensed personnel policies, providing greater support for classroom behavior correction, and fostering a true culture of caring across the district. All of these activities will create better outcomes for students.”

The district’s other board members are Susan Krafft, Lynette Lott, Dalton Person, and Phil Whiteaker.