State may not decide on high school funding till 2011

By Brett Bennett

Posted: July 29, 2009 at 6:52 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — ELKINS - Superintendent Mike Harris warned the Elkins School Board on Tuesday that they might not get a firm answer about state assistance for their proposed new high school project until 2011.

Due to its relatively low property values, Elkins could potentially get more than 50 percent of the costs of a new high school funded by the Arkansas Departmentof Education's facilities division.

Harris said in February he plans to submit a detailed plan for a new high school to state officials, but it will take several months before the state gives an answer on whether it will fund the project.

It could then take until 2011 before the state determines the final assistance amount, Harris noted.

Hopefully, by next July they would at least get some preliminary feedback onwhat division officials think of the plan.

The district could find itself in an awkward spot, however, if it pursues a millage in September 2010, and then later on, the state assistance isn't what they thought it would be, board President Bryan Delozier said.

"My confidence in passing the millage is pretty good," board member Kristal Gano said. "My confidence in the state approving us for the money? Not so good."

The standard date forschool millage elections is September, unless the board holds one earlier. Notice of the election must be published 60 days before election day, and districts can hold only one election per calendar year.

The Lincoln School District notably postponed asking for a millage request on a high school project this year, when the state assistance award was less than expected.

Elkins High School was first built in the 1950s.

In other business, the board did the following:

◊Approved the purchase of a wheelchair-accessible school bus for $64,112 from Merl's Bus Sales.

◊Approved a resolution to not open poll sites for the Sept. 15 school board election and allow early voting only at the courthouse. Delozier is uncontested in seeking re-election, and the district is not pursuing a millage increase. So it does not have to open a poll site, Harris said.

◊ Amended the calendar to add five snow days. The last day of school will be May 27 if no snow days are used. A change in state law, passed by legislators following the January ice storm, requires districts to build in at least five snow days.

◊Heard how a special back-to-school assembly will be held at 8 a.m. Aug. 10 in the high school cafeteria. While held at the high school, all faculty will be present that morning so students can meet them.

News, Pages 7 on 07/29/2009

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