GREENBRIER — Greenbrier School District Superintendent Scott Spainhour said he is counting on voters to approve a second attempt at a 2.9-mill property-tax increase in a March 10 special election.
The district’s proposal for the same increase, which will be used to build an elementary school in Springhill, failed in September by just 31 votes. The $15 million project would include a safe room and a gymnasium.
Spainhour said he’s more confident about this election.
“We’ve done a much better job of informing the people of what our needs are for the district,” he said Wednesday.
A Greenbrier Millage Committee has been formed, and Spainhour has spoken to community groups and held a public meeting. Another public meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Greenbrier High School Fine Arts Building.
The plan is to build an elementary school on Elliott Road in Springhill to handle growth and reduce the number of students in the other three elementary schools from 600 students to about 400 each, Spainhour said. He said the district is growing by an average of almost 100 students per year.
Spainhour said the Westside and Wooster elementary schools have 500-plus students; Eastside has 600 students. Enrollment would be pulled from the
other three elementary schools, particularly Eastside, for the new school, he said.
The goal is to break ground in “early summer” and open the school in fall 2016, he said.
Shellie O’Quinn, chairwoman of the Greenbrier Millage Committee, said it’s vital that Greenbrier voters approve the millage proposal in March.
“We lose the state funding if it doesn’t pass this time,” she said. “Our numbers — we’re growing so much they’ll still require us to do
something at the elementary levels — that means metal buildings. [Passing the millage increase is] really to our advantage all the way around.”
Spainhour agreed with that assessment.
After the failed millage in September — 208 votes to 177 — the state extended $3.5 million in state Partnership Program funds from the Arkansas Division of Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation.
“If this doesn’t pass, we’ll lose $3.5 million, but we’ll still be required at some point to add some classroom space,” Spainhour said. He said that means patrons probably would see portable classrooms pop up to make room for the growing number of students.
“Then we’ll just have to add space at the existing schools that we have. Of course, that’s not good, because common areas inside the schools weren’t built for anything but what they are — 500-or-so-capacity schools,” he said.
Spainhour said common areas such as cafeterias and media centers have space constraints. He said the district can make do with its current facilities while the Springhill school is under construction.
“We can get by another year without using portables,” he said.
Although Spainhour said he would like every school to have a safe room, “it makes sense” to build one in Springhill while the school is under construction. “We feel like that’s important,” he said.
The Greenbrier School District’s millage is 38 and would increase to 40.9 if the proposal is approved. Based on owning a $150,000 home, the increase would cost taxpayers an additional $87 per year.
Spainhour said the 2.9-mill property-tax increase would generate $11.5 million for the project. Construction of the building is estimated to cost $12.5 million, and the $15 million includes architects’ and construction fees, technology and furnishings.
The district purchased 48 acres for approximately $730,000 for the school.
O’Quinn said the district has not had a millage
increase since 1998.
“If people would look around and see everything that’s been done without an increase — our school board and our administration do a really great job of managing and stretching dollars. They go after grants. … They got a grant to build a new fine-arts building, which is amazing. They’ve managed our money well.”
O’Quinn said residents may not realize how much time administrators and school board members spend on planning for the future.
“They have like a 10-year plan; they’ve already made space at the high school for the future growth,” she said. “Our school board and our administration are doing a really great job with what they have. I have a lot of faith in them.”
Spainhour said he has faith in voters, too.
“I am optimistic. We’re expecting a bigger turnout this time; we think it’ll be quite a bit bigger,” he said. “Getting people to vote that support it, that’ll be the key. Ones that are against it — they’re going to show up.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.