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Mountain Home Public Schools Board member Neal Pendergrass has officially announced that he would like Scott Bryant to replace him on the district’s board.
Following next week’s runoff election between Scott Bryant and Scott Booth, Mr. Pendergrass will hang up his hat as one of the Bomber’s longest serving school board members.
Pendergrass enters retirement after serving Mountain Home’s School District for 24 years.
“As a 24-year member of the Mountain Home Public Schools Board of Education, it is my true honor to publicly endorse Mr. Scott Bryant in the upcoming runoff election for Position 6 – my vacant seat.
Mr. Bryant has been my pharmacist for the last several years, and during that time I have found him to be straightforward and level-headed. He has often visited with me about school issues and events and has always proven to be knowledgeable about the current state of affairs within the district. For the past several years, Mr. Bryant has expressed a desire to serve MHPS students and the community by running for school board.
What I see in Mr. Bryant is a humble individual who does not assume things about the district without understanding the full scope of issues. He makes decisions based on facts and will keep kids at the forefront of those decisions. Mr. Bryant also understands that a good school needs a good staff that feels supported by its Board. His mother was an educator and his wife is a reading interventionist. He has seen firsthand the struggles that public school educators face, and I believe he will be a strong advocate for our district’s faculty and staff.
Mr. Bryant is a parent of one Mountain Home student and one Mountain Home graduate. He hails from North Central Arkansas. He understands the needs of our community and our region. While you will not hear Mr. Bryant boast or brag about his accomplishments or his dedication to our district, that is because his motivation to serve on this Board comes from a place of humility and true concern for children.
For these reasons and many more, I am confident that Mr. Scott Bryant is the right candidate for this position.”
–Neal Pendergrass
Scott Bryant is a long time Mountain Home resident, having lived in the area for over 26 years. A graduate from Salem High School, Bryant has served as a pharmacist in Mountain Home for much of his career. His wife, Jennifer Bryant, works as a reading interventionist at Hackler Intermediate School.
Bryant’s eldest son graduated from Mountain Home High School in 2020, and his youngest son attends Pinkston Middle.
Bryant has been one of the quieter candidates on the campaign trail, attending events here and there. He participated in KTLO’s political candidate forum on May 2, where he clearly stated that he supported the millage increase for the school district.
“My biggest inspiration comes from my oldest son’s diagnosis with dyslexia in 3rd grade. Our family has seen firsthand how important it is to have a partnership between teachers and parents. I come from a family of educators, and I am passionate about the people who teach our youth as well as the relationships they have with their students and families. I want to be an advocate for both.”
On the other end of the campaign trail, Booth has served as one of the most outspoken school board candidates, often publishing long online posts on Facebook about his thoughts on the issues that the school district is facing.
Booth has spent a large portion of his time on the campaign trail speaking and listening to all staff within the district to better understand the problems they face.
Booth is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served for 11 years on active duty. His bio states that he was deployed several times. He operates a weight loss clinic in Mountain Home. During his youth, Booth attended a mix of private and public school education. He also was homeschooled for a short time period.
His wife, Allison Booth, works as an ophthalmologist at Baxter Health and Ozark Eye Center. She is an active surgeon. Booth has lived in Mountain Home for nine years.
The Booth family’s oldest child is finishing up her first year at kindergarten in the Mountain Home school district. Their two younger children will be starting school in the district within the next few years.
Turnout for the Bryant/Booth runoff has been relatively low, with only a meager 100 voters casting their ballots on the first day of early voting, and 152 on the second day. In total, 255 votes have been cast, including three in Marion County.
Early voting will continue at the Baxter County Courthouse this week. Election Day is June 6.
