SB587, which would have aligned school board elections with the general, failed on the floor of the House today, 32 Yeas, 42 Nays, 3 Present, and 23 Not Voting.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Eddie Joe Williams and run on the House floor by Representative Nate Bell.

The demise of SB587 came after a DO PASS from the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, bipartisan passage by the Senate with 26 Yeas, 8 Nays, and 1 Not Voting, and a DO PASS from House Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, accompanied by a DO PASS on HB2186, companion clean-up legislation, endorsed by the counties.

That’s the bad news. The good news: 1) while the bill failed for lack of majority, the Nays didn’t have a majority either; and 2) a similar bill which would have moved school board elections from September to the primary got no votes in committee during the last session.

So, if we make the same progress between this session and next that we did between last session and this, the issue should find success in 2015.

The bill was effectively opposed by the Arkansas School Boards Association (ASBA) and Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), whose members, along with the teachers’ unions (AEA/NEA), would have the most to lose if public schools were governed by a majority of parents, citizens and property taxpayers instead of incumbent school board members and employees of the respective school districts.

So, the 1,400 souls who determine how to spend at least 2/3 of local property taxes and 46% of all state general revenue will continue to be decided by 100 times (10,000%) fewer voters than in general elections.

Here are the votes (or lack thereof), which will echo over the next two years.

Yeas (32)

Randy Alexander
Duncan Baird
Bob Ballinger
Nate Bell
Mark Biviano
John Burris
Ann Clemmer
Charlie Collins
Andy Davis
Gary Deffenbaugh
Jim Dotson
John Edwards
Jon Eubanks
Joe Farrer
Charlene Fite
Jeremy Gillam
Justin Harris
Debra Hobbs
Karen Hopper
Douglas House
Patti Julian
Allen Kerr
Andrea Lea
Mark Lowery
Andy Mayberry
David Meeks
Josh Miller
Micah Neal
John Payton
Matthew Shepherd
Bruce Westerman
Richard Womack

Nays (42)

Charles Armstrong
John Baine
Scott Baltz
Mary Broadaway
Les Carnine
John Catlett
Harold Copenhaver
Bruce Cozart
Robert Dale
Jody Dickinson
Dan Douglas
David Fielding
Monte Hodges
Mike Holcomb
John Hutchison
Joe Jett
David Kizzia
Sheilla Lampkin
Greg Leding
Homer Lenderman
Fredrick Love
Walls McCrary
Mark McElroy
George McGill
James McLean
Reginald Murdock
Betty Overbey
James Ratliff
Chris Richey
Warwick Sabin
Sue Scott
Frederick Smith
Brent Talley
Tommy Thompson
John Vines
Wes Wagner
John Walker
Jeff Wardlaw
Butch Wilkins
Henry Wilkins
Darrin Williams
James Word

Present (3)

David Branscum
Kelley Linck
Jim Nickels

Not Voting (23)

Denny Altes
Eddie Armstrong
Jonathan Barnett
Ken Bragg
Charlotte Douglas
Deborah Ferguson
Bill Gossage
Kim Hammer
Fonda Hawthorne
Prissy Hickerson
David Hillman
Lane Jean
Stephen Magie
Stephanie Malone
Stephen Meeks
Mark Perry
Terry Rice
Mary Slinkard
Nate Steel
David Whitaker
Tommy Wren
Marshall Wright

Davy Carter (Speaker, Only Votes in Case of Tie)