For Immediate Release: May 13, 2026
Board of Education Seeks Applicants
School board will select replacement for At-Large & Zone 4 seats
CONWAY, Ark.—The Conway Board of Education is seeking applicants interested to serve as the At-Large and Zone 4 school board members following the resignation of Board President Shelia Franklin and Board Member Trip Leach.
Mrs. Franklin and Mr. Leach announced their resignation from the Board of Education effective on May 11, 2026.
The school board is very grateful for the service of Mrs. Franklin and Mr. Leach to the students, teachers, staff, administration, families, and entire Conway community.
The remaining school board members will appoint a replacement for Mrs. Franklin’s position at a special board meeting on July 6, 2026 and will appoint a replacement for Mr. Leach’s position at their regular board meeting on July 14, 2026. Pursuant to Arkansas law, the term for this appointment shall last until the next school election, which will be in March of 2028.
For the At-Large position:
Any person interested in being considered by the school board for the position and who is a registered voter living within the school district should submit a petition to the school district expressing the individual’s intention to be considered that is signed by at least twenty (20) qualified electors who reside within the school district. Click here for the petition or it can be found at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vgQDdMEzuuZKGLv-OjSc0A2zzYP_LJog/view?usp=sharing. Copies of the petition can also be obtained at the District Administration office at 2220 Prince Street Conway, AR 72034 or the Faulkner County Clerk at 801 Locust Ave., Conway, AR 72034.
The school board will hold a special meeting on Monday July 6, 2026 at 6 p.m. to vote on the person they will appoint to fulfill the remaining term of the At-Large seat.
The petition and current résumé should be sent via U.S. Mail, hand delivery, or email to Leona Walton, Board Vice President, and Shastady Wagner, General Counsel, Conway Public Schools, 2220 Prince Street Conway, AR 72034 or to waltonl@conwayschools.info and wagners@conwayschools.info. The petition and résumé from interested applicants must be received by Monday, June 29 and should include:
Why the applicant is interested in serving as a Board of Education member and
How the applicant feels qualified for this service.
All applicants for this vacancy must reside within the Conway School District. Click here to view the school board zone map. If you have any questions about what zone you live in you can find this information at Arkansas VoterView here, https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView. Any inquiries may be directed to Ms. Walton or Mrs. Wagner at the email addresses listed above.
For the Zone 4 Position:
Any person interested in being considered by the school board for the position and who is a registered voter living within Zone 4 of the school district should submit a petition to the school district expressing the individual’s intention to be considered that is signed by at least twenty (20) qualified electors who reside within Zone 4 of the school district. Click here for the petition or it can be found at this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1me2OHLrhEVmC5jatxpOj5NtWW67vCX9f/view?usp=sharing. Copies of the petition can also be obtained at the District Administration office at 2220 Prince Street Conway, AR 72034 the Faulkner County Clerk at 801 Locust Ave., Conway, AR 72034.
The school board will appoint a person to fill this vacancy at their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 14 at 6 p.m.
The petition and current résumé should be sent via U.S. Mail, hand delivery, or email to Leona Walton, Board Vice President, and Shastady Wagner, General Counsel, Conway Public Schools, 2220 Prince Street Conway, AR 72034 or to waltonl@conwayschools.info and wagners@conwayschools.info.The petition and résumé from interested applicants must be received by Monday, July 6 and should include:
Why the applicant is interested in serving as a Board of Education member and
How the applicant feels qualified for this service.
All applicants for this vacancy must reside within Zone 4 of the Conway School District. Click here to view the school board zone map. If you have any questions about what zone you live in you can find this information at Arkansas VoterView here, https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView. Any inquiries may be directed to Ms. Walton or Mrs. Wagner at the email addresses listed above.
For more information, contact
Shastady Wagner
General Counsel
501-450-4800