FARMINGTON -- Josh Petree is running for Position 3 on Farmington School Board to help make a positive impact on the overall district and to help the district make decisions for continued success and to meet future growth and development.
"I want to see our school district to be a desired choice as we continue to see people move into this local area," Petree wrote in a candidate's profile form for the Enterprise-Leader. "It is exciting times for Farmington and will only get better."
Petree has been with Walmart Stores Inc., for 24 years. Currently, he's director of Project Planning and leads the team that handles planning and communication for the remodel/new store program with Walmart U.S. and Puerto Rico.
He graduated from Bentonville High School and has a bachelor of science business administration degree in marketing management and international economics from the University of Arkansas.
He's worked with several non-profit or business organizations, including First Tee of NWA, the Mi Futuro Program for the 8th Grade School program, previous board member of Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and a current board member of Pagnozzi Parker Charities. He was involved with the Farmington Summer Ball Program and helped with getting the new ballpark established in Farmington.
Petree and his family have lived in Farmington more than 18 years. He has two children in the Farmington School District, one at the high school and one at the junior high. They both started at Jerry "Pop" Williams Elementary School in Farmington.
Petree said he believes the role of a school board is to provide guidance and insight for the district. Board members should have an active role and also be approachable and listen to the concerns of the administration, teachers and staff, he said.
"As our district continues to grow, I think establishing a vision and being an advocate for the needs of the district is a key factor as well," he said.
He listed his engagement with the school community, his work experience with Walmart and his involvement with organizations in Farmington and Northwest Arkansas as qualifications that would serve him as a member of the Farmington School Board.
Petree said he's seen the district continue to grow since his children started kindergarten. He said he knows many teachers, administrators and other staff and as a board member, would be supportive and listen to their concerns and any feedback they give.
He's attended school board meetings the past two years and said he's learned a lot from those meetings about actions taken on a monthly basis. Such actions are similar to decisions he makes daily with his job at Walmart, Petree wrote. His experience with Walmart will be of benefit when looking at budgets and financial forecasts for the school district, he said.
If elected, Petree said his goals would be to ensure Farmington students continue to get the best education in the state and continue to learn in a safe and challenging environment.
He said he would continue to support the district's vision and goals and look ahead at goals that would challenge the district to push forward.
"As a long term resident of 19 years, I understand what our community expects and deserves and feel I can add value to the school board," Petree said, adding, "The growth and development we will see over the next several years will be tremendous -- I want to help give insight and guidance for the community. Lastly, being an active member of the school board will enable me to give back to this community which has given so much to my family and me."
Petree said he believes the district's biggest "opportunity" in the future will be overall infrastructure and making sure Farmington has the capacity to welcome new students and families in the community.
"This means we need buildings to support future enrollment and roads to be able to accommodate continued traffic increase," Petree said.
To meet this growth, the board will have to work closely with city and state officials to ensure Farmington continues to be a desired destination place for future families, he said.
Petree sees many strengths in the Farmington School District. These include leadership, principals and teachers in the district. He notes that test scores continue to rise and are surpassing test scores of some larger school districts in the state.
Farmington has set aggressive goals and has high expectations for teachers and students.
"We see our teachers and students continue to reach new levels of development and continuously delivering results," Petree said.
Lastly, he points out the district's focus on skills development is helping students build skills for work and for life outside of the basic core curriculum.
In a closing statement, Petree said he and his wife made a vested interest to stay within the community and not relocate because they felt Farmington schools and community were the best for their family.
"If you look over the past five years, Farmington is becoming a destination and the community is getting a lot of positive feedback," Petree said. "I want to continue to see Farmington continue to grow -- with businesses, residential and student and faculty growth. I am always here to listen and be a voice of the community. I will make each day count."
General News on 02/12/2020