State rep questions timing of Ozark School District board resignation

Jamie Gragg: Board action "is a slap in the face of our community."

Guy Callaway submitted his resignation from the board in December.

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A state representative is questioning the timing of a recent resignation on the Ozark School District Board of Education that he says avoided voter say in the matter, but board members followed up by noting they were following Missouri law.

State Rep. Jamie Gragg, R-Ozark, claims in a Jan. 10 news release that recently exited Ozark School District board member Guy Callaway delayed his resignation until December, preventing the seat from appearing on the April 2025 ballot. Gragg says he first learned about Callaway's planned exit, due to him moving to Florida, in mid-2024, and repeatedly urged the board to act sooner.

“With lots of issues concerning election integrity and transparency among those that are supposed to represent us, this is a slap in the face of our community," Gragg said in the release. "Many times, the Ozark School Board has had the opportunity to do the right thing but has refused. I question if the board does not trust the citizens of Ozark to make the right decision or if the board desires their own handpicked candidate.”

Gragg says that Callaway’s decision to wait until Dec. 19 to submit his resignation came after the Dec. 10 deadline for filing for the April 2025 election. Had Callaway submitted his resignation sooner, the seat could have appeared on the April 2025 ballot, Gragg says.

In a public statement, the Ozark board responded it did not have the authority to declare an earlier date of resignation. Further, the board stated it does not have the authority to remove or expel a board member over residency concerns.

"In summary, the school district is not bypassing the April 2025 election. It is just following the notification and filing requirements established under the election laws adopted by the Missouri General Assembly," board members said in the statement.

The statement indicates the board is accepting applications for the vacancy created by Callaway's exit. The winning candidate would serve until April 2026, and they would have the opportunity to apply for the next election to keep serving in the role.

The April election has two Ozark School District board seats for voters to consider, but Callaway’s role is not one of them.