PINE BLUFF -- Dollarway School District voters will be asked to decide a 6.7-mill increase Tuesday to fund improvements and construction as residents in several counties statewide head to the polls to decide on various school millage issues and board races.
In the Dollarway district, school officials said the increase in property taxes would allow for a needed expansion at Dollarway High School, improvements to the school's football field and gymnasium, construction of a new field house and a roof replacement at James Matthews Elementary School, along with other projects.
Dollarway Superintendent Patsy Hughey did not return phone calls last week regarding the millage increase proposal, and specifics of the proposed projects were not available.
In a previous interview, Hughey, who is serving her first year as superintendent, said improving the district's infrastructure was a top priority.
"It's something we have definitely been looking at very seriously," Hughey said at the time. "We recognize the importance of quality facilities and the impact they can have on a quality education."
Dollarway Athletic Director Lee Hardman said the projects could transform the district and give students new hope about the future.
"It's no secret that our facilities, from classrooms to athletics, have had problems," Hardman said. "We have no field house. We need a weight room. And when you look at the tradition that Dollarway has carried over the years, these improvements are way overdue."
Hardman said the improvements would also "give our kids a brighter future and allow them to take more pride in their school. ... It would increase the value of our community."
The Dollarway School District's current millage rate is 40.8, according to the Jefferson County assessor's office. A person with a home in the district with an appraised value of $50,000 pays $408 in school taxes per year, and with a 6.7-mill increase, that homeowner would pay an additional $67 dollars annually, according to the assessor's office.
A mill is one-tenth of a cent and generates $1 in property taxes for every $1,000 of assessed value. A county assesses property at 20 percent of its appraised value, and the assessment is multiplied by the millage rate to determine the taxes owed.
If the millage increase passes, it would give Dollarway the highest millage rate in Jefferson County, at 47.5 mills. Residents in the Pine Bluff School District pay 41.7 mills, while residents in the White Hall School District pay 39.2 mills. Watson Chapel School District residents pay 34.1 mills.
In April, White Hall School District voters rejected a 5.7-mill property tax increase that would have funded new construction and renovations.
While there is no organized opposition to the Dollarway millage proposal, some residents are grumbling at the thought of higher taxes.
Jim Grayson, who owns several properties in the district, said the increase could cost him.
"My income is pretty fixed right now," Grayson said. "I rent a couple of houses, but I can't go up on the rent or I will lose tenants. I understand that the school needs money, but I just don't think I have any more to give right now."
Lee Carpenter, whose daughter attends Dollarway High School, said she is torn on the issue.
"On one hand, I want to see better buildings and things for my daughter and her classmates, but I do get how bad the economy has been for so many people right now. It's a tough choice. Ultimately, I think I will just vote for the increase. We have to make sure our kids have the best education possible."
Dollarway has had its share of struggles in the past several years.
The Dollarway School Board fired former Superintendent Bobby Acklin in April after board members said he'd failed to improve the district's academic and financial situations.
Acklin was appointed by the state education commissioner to lead the district in June 2013 after the previous Dollarway School Board was dissolved during a state takeover because of poor academic performance. But the Arkansas Board of Education returned the district to local control last year.
In July, a state Board of Education committee initiated quarterly monitoring of the Dollarway School District to help ensure administrators keep working to improve student success at the high school.
The district is still considered by the state to be academically distressed, with fewer than half of its students scoring at proficient levels on state math and literacy exams over a three-year period.
State Desk on 09/14/2015