School board elections set in Greenwood, Fort Smith, Van Buren

Gregory Carthon, who was appointed to the Fort Smith Public Schools Board of Education on Feb. 24, filed for upcoming annual school elections for the board, but not for the position to which he was appointed.

Carthon was appointed to the Zone IV position by the board following the resignation of Talicia Richardson. Her term, representing Zone IV, was set to expire in 2026.

Carthon was appointed for about a three-month term and was told at the time he would have to run for the position in the May 13 school elections. Seats up for election in the annual school board elections include the At-Large Position VI held by Matt Blaylock and the At-Large Position VII held by Davin Chitwood.

The filing period for the election closed at noon March 3.

According to a list provided by the Sebastian County Clerk’s Office, Carthon filed for the At-Large Position VI seat on the board. The list shows Brad Harding also filed for election to that seat. Matt Blaylock, who has held the position since 2021, did not file for reelection.

Blaylock, president of Blaylock Heating & Air Conditioning & Plumbing Services, defeated incumbent Bill Hanesworth in May 2021. He was reelected to the board in 2022 for a three-year term after a new zone map was approved that required elections for all board seats.

Blaylock said when he first ran for the school board, he let it be known he only wanted to serve a maximum of two terms. His youngest child is a senior this year, and he said his time on the board should come to an end as well.

Maria Martinez and Daniel Williams, two of those who applied to be appointed to the empty Zone IV seat in February, filed for election to the positions.

Brittney Hall is the only person to file for the At-Large Position VII seat. Incumbent Davin Chitwood, who serves as school board secretary this year, did not file for reelection. Hall ran for the Zone II seat against Sandy Dixon in 2022. Dixon won that election. She filed again for the seat in 2024, but did not have the proper number of signatures.

GREENWOOD, VAN BUREN
Greenwood Public Schools had one person file for the Board of Education in the school elections. Stephanie Griffin, the incumbent for Zone I, filed for reelection.

Van Buren Public Schools has two positions up for election in the May 13 school election. Kevin Bell and Kyle Putman both filed for reelection. Both will be unopposed as no other candidates filed with the county clerk’s office, Crawford County officials said.