Little Rock School District Superintendent Baker Kurrus said Thursday that the district intends to purchase property for a new school in west Little Rock.
A conditional contract to purchase the $11.5 million property, formerly home to Leisure Arts, was signed Wednesday, Kurris said in a statement (PDF).
The property is 23.1 acres and includes a 75,000-square-foot office building and 175,000-square-foot office/warehouse facility, he said.
According to the statement, the school district will have 180 days with the contract to inspect a number of "major issues with respect to this property" to determine the feasibility of converting the facility into a school.
In January, the Little Rock School District Board of Directors passed a resolution requiring the district to construct a new southwest Little Rock high school and a west Little Rock middle school.
Kurris said he does not think there is support for a millage campaign to help finance the new school, adding "I also do not think LRSD can stand still in the face of our current needs."
"We clearly have financial challenges. Everyone is aware of that," Kurris said during a news conference Thursday. "We're continuing to work toward solutions there, but we have to get on a path to achieve our goals. If we don't start sometime, we'll never get there."
Kurris also spoke during Thursday's news conference on initiation of a community engagement process for a new high school in southwest Little Rock. The district has already purchased land for the project, he said.
Planning, design and construction of the high school would take about four years, he said.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
