CLINTON — The Clinton School District is asking patrons to approve a 1-mill property-tax increase in the Sept. 16 school election for construction and renovation projects, focusing on the district’s agriculture program.
Superintendent Scott Jones said the increase would bring in approximately $4 million to fund several projects. He said more than half the $4 million would go toward construction of an agriculture complex at the high school.
“The millage will be used for constructing a new agriculture building, animal-science building and greenhouse,” he said.
“We don’t have a greenhouse right now, and we’re wanting to add a horticulture program of study,” Jones said. He said administrators are working with the Arch Ford Education Service Cooperative in Plumerville to develop the program.
Jones said his research shows that the agri building was constructed in 1938. At some point, a metal shop building was added.
Voters approved a 4-mill property-tax increase in September 2011 to build the district’s elementary school, which was completed this summer.
“With the last millage, one of the things they wanted to do with [the agri building] was to take and give it a face-lift and put new windows in it, but you’ve got a 1920s building. Why put $100,000 into putting some windows in when you can get something really nice for the kids?” he asked.
Agriculture teacher Chad Mooney said the building is inadequate for state-of-the-art programs.
“The building now — it’s impossible to house the new technologies,” he said, using the example of a TIG welder that hooks to a computer.
“We don’t have any room for the new technology, and [the building] leaks everywhere,” Mooney said.
He said his goal as an ag teacher is to prepare college-bound kids, as well as “try to prepare kids with a trade so if they choose not to go to school, they can make a good living and support a family.”
An ag-science building would allow the district to expand the curriculum, Mooney and Jones said.
“I know Greenbrier has one [ag-science building], and we went and looked at it,” Jones said.
“We teach animal-science class, but we have to teach it with a SmartBoard and a textbook, and kids learn by doing,” Mooney said.
The ag-science building would include a cattle facility “where we could actually give injections, and pens kids could keep show animals in,” Mooney said. “Occasionally, we get a kid that wants to show that lives right in town. That’s not the primary goal; the primary goal is to use [the building] as a lab, much like a science class uses a lab.”
Mooney said improvements in the facilities and programs could have far-reaching effects.
The lab would provide “hands-on opportunities for students,” whether or not they become directly involved in agriculture as adults.
“It could make them at least an advocate for it,” Mooney said, “to keep a food supply that’s affordable.”
“The valedictorian might not go into production-ag, but if they’re community leaders all across the nation, they can at least be advocates,” Mooney said.
Building an agri complex accomplishes another goal, the superintendent said.
Jones said the high school utilizes two portable classroom buildings, but now there is not much space to add on
classrooms to the high school.
“We want to add on classrooms at the high school, and we don’t have any room without building a new agri [complex] and moving [the old agri building] out of the way,” Jones said.
Mooney said that “aesthetically, that’s the first thing people see,” — an outdated agriculture building and portable buildings.
“The community is trying to bring in new industry, and a lot of times, the first thing they want to see is the school,” Mooney said.
In addition, Jones said, the millage increase would fund improvements to other facilities.
“We want to renovate Walker Gym that is used for PE classes and as a community building for youth sports with a new roof to replace the current roof, which leaks, along with a new floor. We would like to update the football stadium and baseball stadium bleachers and press box, as well,” Jones said.
He said that although the football stadium is compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, “I’d like to make it a little better,” which would include improving the ramps. “They’re really narrow to get up and made of expanded metal, where walkers could get hung in there,” Jones said. “I’m just real sensitive to that.”
“While we’re at it, we want to put a new press box up, because the one we have leans. It’s not dangerous, or anything.”
Another project planned with the property-tax proceeds is to add bleachers at the rodeo arena, Jones said.
“The current bleachers that we have, it’s just a single set. We’re one of the few schools that still have school rodeos. We can’t get all the kids in [the arena], and if the community wants to use it, … it’s too small,” Jones said.
Also, buildings left vacant by the recent construction of the elementary facility must have asbestos removed before they are torn down.
The 1-mill increase will increase the district’s millage from 36.8 to 37.8 mills. Based on a $100,000 home, a 1-mill increase would cost taxpayers an extra $20 a year, Jones said.
Clinton School Board President Kirk Pryor said board members were unanimous in approving the request for the millage increase.
“Our facilities are just extremely outdated,” Pryor said. “I graduated from Clinton in ’88, and that agri facility was there long before me. We have a couple of buildings that were built by the [Works Progress Administration] folks. It was old when I was in school. It’s just time.
“We’re obviously a rural school, and we have a good ag department, and they work very hard, but they have very limited resources. Ag’s something we’re really strong on, and a lot of these kids are going to go on and do that.”
Jones said he is optimistic about the millage passing, although he hasn’t had much feedback from the community.
“I’m not getting very much — positive or negative,” he said.
Jones said he thinks because it’s a small millage-increase request and Clinton is an agricultural community, voters will support the proposal.
Pryor agreed. He said the district hasn’t asked patrons for many millage increases.
“It’s just 1 mill,” he said. “We’re basically going to give them a first-class facility for not very much out of pocket.”
Pryor said when people ask him what the property-tax increase is for, he says they’re working in a 1930s building, “and we want to give the kids the best we can give them.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.