LITTLE ROCK — Two Rivers School District in Yell County will not receive funds from a proposed property-tax increase to build a new elementary school and sports complex estimated to cost $17.4 million.
Voters rejected a 10.8-mill increase in a special election Tuesday that would have brought the total school tax rate to 46.4 mills.
Complete but unofficial results were:
For. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Against . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,356
Superintendent Sherry Holliman said Tuesday afternoon that it would be better to rebuild rather than renovate the Ola and Plainview elementary schools. Holliman did not return phone calls late Tuesday night and it was unknown what the district plans to do next.
The proposed kindergarten-sixth-grade school would be nearly 72,000 square feet and 550 students would attend - mostly from Ola and Plainview elementary schools, which would shut down if a new school were ever built.
The district also received a $5.58 million grant from the state to build a safe room capable of withstanding an EF5 tornado.
The sports complex, if built someday, would replace the city’s exisiting football field and could be used by the elementary and high schools. Holliman said the sports complex would have a running track and fields for baseball and softball, too.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 07/13/2011