Perry has been on the LPS School Board for 29 years. The thing he loves about our district is that “It’s home.” He is a 1976 graduate of Lavaca High School. Perry has been married to his wife, Sandy, for 45 years. They have three daughters- Jennifer Teague, Sara Floyd, and Rachel Pevehouse. All three daughters are Lavaca High School graduates, and two currently work in education. He has 8 grandchildren with one of them at LHS, three at LMS, two at Arkansas Tech and two looking forward to attending LES. He has worked for AOG (Summit Utilities) for 42 and a half years and recently retired.
School Board
Welcome to the Lavaca School District website.
This site offers a brief overview of our learning community.
The Lavaca School District is committed to providing students with a quality education that will prepare them to be lifelong learners and productive citizens of a democratic society. As educators we are committed to the service of each other, our students, and our community. Our rural district serves approximately 820 students in grades K-12 and is located ten miles East of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Lavaca has a population of approximately two thousand and covers an area of fifty-seven square miles. It is bordered on the North by the Arkansas River and on the West and South by the lush acres of Fort Chaffee. The three schools making up the district are within a one-half mile area on Highway 255. Lavaca High School has approximately 255 students in grades 9-12. Lavaca Middle Schools serves 280 students in grades 5-8, and Lavaca Elementary serves 285 students in grades K-4.
The 2023-2024 School Board Members are:
Perry Newman, Craig Carter, Darren Smithson, Amy Green, Tyler Daniels
Perry Newman
Craig Carter
Craig has been on the LPS School Board for 16 years. He is a lifelong resident of Lavaca and graduated as Valedictorian in the class of 1990. He went on to pursue a degree at the University of Arkansas, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1994. He is currently employed by Asset Living. He has been married to Sheryl Carter for 22 years and they have five beautiful daughters: Abby, Ally, Ashlyn, Anniston, and Addilyn, two sons-in-law, Cody and Justin, one granddaughter, Vivi, and one grandson, Luca. His girls were born and raised in Lavaca with three already graduating and 2 currently attending with 1 at the high school and 1 at the elementary school. Having been involved in the foreign exchange student program as well as a foster parent for over five years, he has seen 17 additional children attend Lavaca Public Schools over the years. Seeing teachers and administration come alongside you and support and encourage your children, especially those from hard situations, is something he loves about our district. Lavaca as a community and school district, truly fulfills every aspect of being the village it takes to raise your children. In his spare time he enjoys serving at First Baptist Lavaca, traveling and following all Arkansas Razorbacks sports.
Darren Smithson
Darren has been on the LPS School Board for 14 years. He likes the fact that Lavaca is a small district that allows students to participate in many interests. He is also proud of a staff that works hard to do whatever it takes to meet the needs of the students. Darren graduated from Lavaca High School in 1990, earned his degree from University of Arkansas, and is a claims manager for Eberls. Darren has been married to Dawn for 30 years and they have 5 children: Isaac, Grace (and husband Zac), Kaylen, Leland, Aden, and one grandbaby, HattieJoy.
Amy Green
This is Amy’s first year serving on the LPS School Board. She has been a resident of Lavaca for 20 years. Amy is a 1993 graduate of Southside High School in Fort Smith and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Arkansas State University in 1998. She has worked for First National Bank of Fort Smith for 26 years. She and her husband Justin, a lifelong resident and 1992 graduate of Lavaca High School, have been married for 24 years. Amy and Justin have two daughters, Avery and Rylie, who are graduates of Lavaca High School. While her daughters were students in the district, Amy served on the Lavaca High School Leadership Committee and the PTO Boards for Lavaca Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. Being raised in a large school district, Amy loved the smaller district and community feel of Lavaca schools. She liked that she was able to get to know the teachers, coaches, and staff and that her daughters were able to be involved in many different activities. Amy wasn’t raised as an Arrow, but says she has been converted! Once an Arrow, always an Arrow!
Tyler Daniels
Tyler was elected to the Lavaca School Board in May 2022. He felt a calling to serve the school that gave so much to him growing up. His goal is for students of Lavaca to receive an education that is second to no other district. Tyler graduated from Lavaca High School in 2010, received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Arkansas in 2014, and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2017. He has been married to his wife Kylie since 2017 and has two beautiful daughters, Hayden and Brooks.