LITTLE ROCK — The Two Rivers School District will meet with the Arkansas Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation Division to discuss what happens next since voters turned down a proposed millage increase to build a new elementary school Tuesday.
Residents in Two Rivers School District rejected a 10.8-mill increase in a Tuesday special election that would have raised the total school tax rate to 46.4 mills.
The millage would have helped build a $10 million elementary school and a $7 million sports complex. The state Department of Education did not suggest the construction of the sports complex but did recommend renovation of the two elementary schools or construction of a new one, said Charles Stein, director of the state division.
Complete but unofficial election results were: For . . . .251 Against . . . 1,356
The district needs to lay out a new strategy for how to generate funds to build a new school or renovate the two existing elementary schools, Stein said. The district could have another special millage election within seven months, according to the Commission for Public School Facilities and Transportation’s rules.
“It is a more prudent use of state resources to build new than to try and renovate old buildings,” said Sharon Chuculate, the district’s business manager.
By law, the Public School Academic Facilities Division must send out a letter - within 10 days after an election - to the district superintendent and board requesting a conference to “determine whether as a result of the failed millage there are facilities issues relating to: immediate repairs, presence and number of suitability needs of public school academic facilities and immediate needs for facilities to meet student growth.”
The district could be identified as being in “academic facilities distress,” Stein said.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 07/14/2011