OZARK, MO — The Ozark R-6 Board of Education is once again embroiled in controversy as a dispute over a vacated board seat explodes!
Here’s the story…
The room grew tense as State Representative Jamie Gragg (R-Ozark) urged the Ozark R-6 School Board to allow voters their rightful option to vote on three open positions in April, not two, at the December school board meeting.
Board President Mark Jenkins is not seeking re-election; Sarah Adams-Orr is seeking re-election. However, Gragg says a third position needs to be voted on as well, rather than appointed by the board.
Who had the third open position? Guy Callaway, Ozark realtor, whom Gragg and others believe moved to Florida last year without announcing his move to the entire board. The suspicion is Callaway deliberately waited until after filing began for the two open positions in December before announcing.
However, Board President Mark Jenkins vehemently denies such allegations. “All I can tell you is no grand conspiracy on the timing of (Guy Callaway’s) resignation as they alleged,” he stated to the CCT. “The board is following to the letter of all laws required under the circumstances we were given. We had no control or knowledge pf when he planned to resign.”
When asked about a member of the Christian County Republican Central Committee reportedly raising concerns, Jenkins stated, “I don’t know what he heard or who from, but it was wrong.” Meaning, the information about a concerned CCRCC member was wrong, according to Jenkins.
Meanwhile, Rep. Gragg maintains the people have a right to decide on Callaway’s seat in April.
The reason Gallaway waited, Gragg and others contend, is he wanted his friend (Mark Jenkins) to fill his position with another mutual friend, Matt Growcock, a lawyer and husband of Judge Jennifer Growcock. Mrs. Growcock was elected circuit judge of the 38th district (Christian County) in 2016 and appointed Chief Judge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, in 2021.
Jenkins denied any such appointment of Matt Growcock to the CCT.
Gragg says it’s not up to Jenkins to sneak in a friend on the school board. It’s up to voters. “If the people want (Matt Growcock) that’s fine; let them vote him in during the April election,” Gragg told the CCT. But Gragg says Jenkins wants Growcock to slide free from election until Callaway’s original term is up for election in April 2026, not 2025. That gives him a free seat uncontested and dances around state statute.
Following is an official document regarding the situation.
CAPITOL OFFICE
State Capitol
201 West Capitol Avenue
Jefferson City, MO 65101-6806
Tele: (573) 751-2565
E-Mail:
JamieRay.Gragg@house.mo.gov
MISSOURI HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
Jamie Ray Gragg
State Representative
District 140
COMMITTEES
Member:
Sub. Committee on
Appropriations-Education
Children and Families
Elementary and Secondary
Education
Health Care Reform
State Rep. Jamie Gragg Shares Concerns about Ozark School Board
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – State Rep. Jamie Ray Gragg (HD-140) is issuing the following
statement to express concerns with the Ozark School Board and the upcoming appointment to fill
the position vacated by Guy Callaway.
“I am asking the Ozark School Board to reconsider and do the right thing by allowing the voters
of the school district to vote for who they would like to fill the board position vacated by Guy
Callaway after his move out of the district.” Gragg, R-Ozark, said. “By sidestepping state statute
and appointing who the board wants, you only darken the transparency needed by a school board
to properly represent the people of the Ozark School District.”
In April of 2024, Guy Callaway filed his personal property tax wavier with the assessor’s office
using his new address in Gulf Breeze Florida, thus moving his residence out of district.
Representative Gragg heard of this move before summer of 2024 and approached the board
about when a replacement would be appointed. The reply was that as soon as Mr. Callaway
submitted his resignation, the board would act. In August, Rep. Gragg inquired again and was
told that the board could not force Mr. Callaway to resign and that it was his decision only as to
the timing of his resignation.
Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES
Chapter 162
162.471. Board of directors — qualifications, terms, vacancies.
- The government and control of an urban school district is vested in a board of seven
directors.
2. Except as provided in section 162.563, each director shall be a voter of the district who
has resided within this state for one year next preceding the director’s election or
appointment and who is at least twenty-four years of age. All directors, except as
otherwise provided in sections 162.481, 162.492, and 162.563, shall hold their offices for
six years and until their successors are duly elected and qualified. All vacancies occurring
in the board shall be filled by appointment by the board as soon as practicable, and the
person appointed shall hold office until the next school board election, when a successor
shall be elected for the remainder of the unexpired term. The power of the board to
perform any official duty during the existence of a vacancy continues unimpaired thereby
Mr. Callaway hesitated in submitting his resignation for at least 8 months so that the board could
appoint his replacement that would fulfill the remainder of his term of 16 months. All thru the
month of December, filing to fill vacant seats was open and citizens could apply to run for school
board. Even though Mr. Callaway’s resignation was finally submitted (Mr. Callaway was not
present) and accepted during the Dec. 19th board meeting, the board refused to open that spot for
the April ballot. Rep. Gragg approached the board during the Dec. 19 board meeting and highly
encouraged them to open this up to the vote of the people and then shared the state statute. The
boards response was that the school lawyer (in St. Louis and whom the board has discussed
releasing) advised them it was appropriate since the resignation came in as candidate filing was
already in progress. They stated that had the resignation been received BEFORE filing started,
then the position would be on the April ballot. Filing for school board was open until Dec. 31,
2024, leaving 12 days to take applications.
Mr. Callaway’s children have not started Ozark Schools for the 2024-25 school year and
are enrolled in Florida.
Mr. Callaway has been working as a real estate professional in the state of Florida for
some time.
The sale of Mr. Callaway’s home in Ozark closed on 10/31/24.
On Dec. 19, after prodding from Rep. Gragg, Don Carriker and others, was Mr. Callaway’s
resignation finally submitted, approved and accepted by the board on Dec. 19. Even after the last
item listed above, Mr. Callaway had ample time to submit his resignation to the board before
filing.
“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. 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 he is strongly committed to protect the values and morals of the community and work
to promote a local community run school board. “I will fight to protect our right to vote and
election integrity.”
Representative Gragg represents Christian County (District 140) in the Missouri House of
Representatives. He was elected to his second two-year term in November 2024. For more
information, please contact his office at 573-751-2565 or by email at
JamieRay.Gragg@House.Mo.Gov.
What do voters say?
There you have it, folks.
We need your voice in elections. We need to follow the law.
What say you?
Applications are being accepted for Callaway’s vacated position.
Submit your comments to: ChristianCountyTrumpet@gmail.com. Anyone can submit an article by using their name and contact information.