Howard County Quorum Court Approves Interim Umpire School Board Following Detachment Vote

The Howard County Quorum Court held their regular monthly meeting Monday, where members discussed developments related to the future of Umpire School District and their efforts to detach from the Cossatot River School District.

During the meeting, Gary White of the Umpire School District Steering Committee addressed the court regarding a letter he had submitted to quorum court members outlining concerns about the impact the Cossatot River School Board has had on the Umpire community.

According to White, the passage of Act 919 by the Arkansas State Legislature and signed by Sarah Huckabee Sanders has created a pathway for communities to detach from larger school districts. He also pointed to the results of a March 3 election in which nearly 70 percent of registered voters participated, with the measure passing 195 to 4.

White said the steering committee has reached the limits of its authority in the process and noted that a local school board would have greater authority moving forward. He also said five individuals have agreed to serve as interim school board members until the next school election and were present at the meeting.

White also explained how each of the proposed board members was selected.

White told the court that community members have donated funds to support the effort. More than $21,000 has been pledged so far. He added that any remaining funds will go toward a project benefiting the school.

White said the process has not been easy and noted that three other schools are also exploring similar efforts to detach from their current districts.

White’s letter to the court also stated that failing to move forward quickly could allow the community’s tax base to continue going to the Cossatot River School District rather than returning to Howard County.

Following discussion, Justice of the Peace Kerry Strasner made a motion, seconded by D’Ann Henderson, for the court to accept the steering committee’s recommendation for an interim school board.

The court approved the appointments of Leslie Efird to Position 1 at-large, Carla Reid to Position 2 at-large, Ricky Pinkerton to Position 3 at-large, Jason O’Neal to Position 4 at-large, and Jason Manasco to position 5 and as an at-large member of the Umpire School Board.

After the JPs approved the motion to appoint the interim school board for Umpire, each member was sworn in by Howard County Judge Brent Pinkerton.