Bentonville School Board Wants Advice on Millage Package
By: Kyle Leyenberger
Updated: November 30, 2012
The Bentonville School Board is planning to put a second millage package before voters next year to deal with the district's growth.
Voters shot down a millage increase in June, but Superintendent Mike Poore says the growth problem isn't going away.
"We grew by more students this year than we even anticipated at that high school," Poore says. "We know that there's a bubble that's still coming our way that's in our middle school and junior high level."
The board wants a solution by 2016, and that means a millage package must be approved by next October.
"The pressure's on a lot," says school board president Travis Riggs. "I hope the community understands what's at stakes here."
Riggs says if the second millage fails, the state could intervene.
"It is no scare tactic," he says. "If we fail this next time around more than likely the state can and will step in and say, 'Okay, we've looked at your data. We agree with you. You need a solution and we're going to build it for you and you're going to pay us back."
Riggs says the cash would come from the district's operating budget.
"The cost of a high school, that's an expensive venture," he says. "That means a lot of cuts."
Instead the board wants to cut the millage, and Riggs wants voters' help.
"We've got to win this one, so we need to hear from them, 'What will you support?'" he says.
The district plans to mail out several rounds of "flash" surveys, asking people to send their answers back in just a few days.
"Get them right back to us so we can get it counted and come right back to you with another question based on the response," he says. "That will help us cater the plan and design it in such a way that we'll be cost aware."
The first survey could go out as soon as next week, and the district plans to spend six months working with the community before drafting a ballot question.
Voters shot down a millage increase in June, but Superintendent Mike Poore says the growth problem isn't going away.
"We grew by more students this year than we even anticipated at that high school," Poore says. "We know that there's a bubble that's still coming our way that's in our middle school and junior high level."
The board wants a solution by 2016, and that means a millage package must be approved by next October.
"The pressure's on a lot," says school board president Travis Riggs. "I hope the community understands what's at stakes here."
Riggs says if the second millage fails, the state could intervene.
"It is no scare tactic," he says. "If we fail this next time around more than likely the state can and will step in and say, 'Okay, we've looked at your data. We agree with you. You need a solution and we're going to build it for you and you're going to pay us back."
Riggs says the cash would come from the district's operating budget.
"The cost of a high school, that's an expensive venture," he says. "That means a lot of cuts."
Instead the board wants to cut the millage, and Riggs wants voters' help.
"We've got to win this one, so we need to hear from them, 'What will you support?'" he says.
The district plans to mail out several rounds of "flash" surveys, asking people to send their answers back in just a few days.
"Get them right back to us so we can get it counted and come right back to you with another question based on the response," he says. "That will help us cater the plan and design it in such a way that we'll be cost aware."
The first survey could go out as soon as next week, and the district plans to spend six months working with the community before drafting a ballot question.
