Mathis and Clark win Dexter school board seats

Aaron Mathis held on to his seat and will be joined by Preston Clark for the Dexter R-XI School Board. Mathis and Clark received 628 and 454 votes respectively out of 1,454. Taylor Joyner received 372 votes.

This will be Mathis’ second three-year term. He is employed as a mortician at Mathis Funeral Homes. His three children all attend Dexter schools.

Mathis said his foremost priority will be trying to attract and retain more quality educators.

“It’s only going to become more difficult,” he said.

With the salary schedule up for discussion with the board soon, Mathis said he will push to raise teachers’ salaries as high as he can while still leaving funds for day-to-day operations. He thanked his wife and looks forward to another term serving his community.

Clark, owner of Bootheel Tool and Machine, LLC, comes from a legacy of service to education. His mother was employed for 31 years in public education, and his sister works in the school system.

“I have great respect for them and all school employees who provide care and education for our children,” Clark said.

His three children also attend Dexter schools. Clark stated his priority will be to, “provide a voice to make good decisions for our school system.”