Helena-West Helena voters in Tuesday's special election favored a 9.75-mill property-tax increase to fund a new junior high school and keep the district off the state's facilities-distress list.
Plans call for a $28.7 million building project that will r̶e̶p̶l̶a̶c̶e̶ ̶C̶e̶n̶t̶r̶a̶l̶ ̶H̶i̶g̶h̶ ̶S̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶a̶ ̶j̶u̶n̶i̶o̶r̶ ̶h̶i̶g̶h̶ ̶s̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ demolish a junior high building on its Central High School campus and replace it with a building that will house 700 seventh- through 12th-grade students,* and build a 350-seat auditorium for music and drama programs, several science labs and an indoor 30-yard football practice field.
Complete, but unofficial results are:
For 1,135
Against 1,056
In November, a 9.75-mill increase lost by eight votes -- 2,135 to 2,027.
This time it was a 79-vote difference.
"I am so grateful that the district has confidence in us," School Board President Andrew Bagley said.
"This is a boost for both the schools and the community," he said.
The district was placed under fiscal distress and under state stewardship for eight of the past 11 years until March 2016. It closed three school buildings and eliminated 130 jobs in recent years, Bagley said.
Central High School, built in the late 1940s, is in disrepair and needs replacing, he said. The roof and floors leak when it rains, and there are gaps in the eaves.
Superintendent John Hoy said he will move his office from an administrative building to the new junior high building.
Mike Taylor, a Phillips County farmer who led a group opposing the millage increase, said taxpayers cannot afford it.
School officials said the increase will result in the owner of a home in the district appraised at $100,000 paying an additional $195 a year in property taxes.
"It's the straw that broke the camel's back," Taylor said Tuesday evening. "The district lost 900 students in 10 years. It didn't maintain its buildings and it bled its coffers dry.
"It's a cash cow," he said of the district. "You can build a shiny new facade, but if you look at the reputation inside, you can't whitewash over it."
Taylor said additional tax revenue should go toward a new Phillips County jail, which closed in April 2013 after violations were found during a state inspection. He said that the county also needs additional revenue for road repair and to recruit new businesses.
Bagley said this campaign was the toughest one he's been involved in because of the animosity between opposing sides.
"This was divisive," he said of the election. "We are going to do the best we can to bring the community back together. While we are building buildings, we hope we're building bridges with our district."
State Desk on 03/15/2017
*CORRECTION: The Helena-West Helena School District will demolish a junior high building on its Central High School campus and replace it with a building that will house 700 seventh- through 12th-grade students. A previous version of this article was unclear about the demolition and new construction plans.