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North Little Rock board accepts resignation of Zone 6 member Valerie McClain and opens public appointment process
Summary
The board accepted the immediate resignation of Zone 6 member Valerie McClain, announced a public application period through Aug. 19, and said interviews will be held in public on Sept. 3 with an appointment required by Sept. 27 under Arkansas law; the board also approved employment actions after an executive session.
The North Little Rock School District Board of Education accepted the resignation of Zone 6 board member Valerie McClain effective immediately and began the public appointment process to fill the vacancy.
Chair read Ms. McClain’s letter to the board, which included family health reasons for her departure. "Therefore, I am resigning from the North Little Rock School District Board of Education effective immediately. Sincerely, Valerie McClain," the letter read, as presented by the chair.
The chair outlined the legal timeline and appointment steps. Under the applicable state timeline the board has 90 days from the vacancy to appoint a replacement; because the board received the resignation on June 29, the chair said the appointment must occur no later than Sept. 27, 2026. The vacancy will be publicly advertised beginning July 10 and the board will accept applications through Aug. 19. Applicants must submit a letter of intent and resume and secure 20 qualified‑elector signatures from residents of Zone 6; the county clerk will verify those signatures.
The chair said interviews and deliberations on applicants will occur in open session per recent state law changes that restrict executive‑session use for appointments. "All interviews will be in front of everybody," a board member confirmed during questions from the floor.
The chair also described two procedural options for filling internal officer roles after the appointment: advance current officers in succession to preserve continuity, or hold elections for vice president and affected officers in September and again at the board's annual March election. If an appointment is made Sept. 3, the chair said a vice president election would be scheduled for the Sept. 17 regular meeting; the elected officer would serve until the board’s annual election of officers in March 2027.
Following the resignation discussion, a board member moved to accept Ms. McClain’s resignation and declare the Zone 6 seat vacant; the motion was seconded, called and approved by voice vote.
Separately, the board convened an executive closed session citing district policy 1.14 and Arkansas statutes governing permissible executive‑session purposes. After reconvening, the board moved to approve employment of personnel as discussed in executive session; the motion was seconded and the board approved the employment action by voice vote. The chair noted that employment matters discussed in executive session are not open for public discussion.
