Election Result Simple To Read

Not since Ellie Walker ran for the Mayberry Town Council has an election been as contentious as the Bentonville vote on whether or not to increase its school millage.

According to a report in whichever newspaper we throw behind the back tire of your vehicle in the mornings, the proposed 6.7-mill increase failed 5,589-4,029. The increase would have garnered $128 million for the district.

Much of that - $94 million - would have gone to build a 2,000-student second high school in Centerton.

To clarify, that’s a second Bentonville High School. It would have been Centerton’s fi rst high school.

Then, there was that $23 million slated for athletic facilities - an amount that totaled somewhere around 18 cents of every dollar.

Passing the millage would have given the Bentonville School District the highest millage in the state.

So, how did members of the Bentonville School Board take the news?

“The next years will betough on students,” said Travis Riggs, a School Board member. “I think parents are going to feel the pain from the decision they (voters) made tonight.”

There will be a brief pause here to shake your head in disbelief at that statement.

OK, ready?

Here we go.

Notice it wasn’t the School Board’s decision that is going to make things tough on students, it’s the decision the voters made at the polls.

Riggs followed up that Einstein quote by saying in the next article about the election: “We need time to listen. What were the voters really trying to tell us? Was it the $23 million athletic facility? Was it the second high school? What was it?”

Geez, even June Lockhart could fi gure out Lassie wastrying to tell her Timmy had just fallen down the well.

Election results can’t be that diftcult to fi gure out.

Especially after a school board has the audacity to put such a ham-handed effort before the public for a vote.

It’s not like all these kids just sneaked into town while the board wasn’t looking.

Sorry. My bad. The board has projections on hand, according to the news report.

District projection numbers show 4,767 students enrolled at the high school in 2016. That’s 1,467 students more than the school’s 3,300 capacity.

More than 3,900 students are expected at the school next year.

Riggs said the district will have to start relieving capacity issues with creative solutions starting in 2014.

“I think in 2014 we will be looking at split schedules,” Riggs said.

“That year alone we will be some 900 kids over. The one thing that is for sure is that we have not solved the issue. It might have got voted down, but we haven’t solved any problems. I struggle with that, but wewill go back and try to solve those problems.”

Well, here’s something for the board to keep in mind while looking at “solving” those problems.

When I was raising a family and my family grew, I needed to buy another vehicle. (I’ve used this story before, stop me if you’ve heard it.)

When I needed to buy a new vehicle, I didn’t run to my boss and say, “I’ve got a bigger family now, so I need another vehicle.

I want you to give me a raise, even though it will make me the highest-paid columnist in the state. I just want you to know, it’s all for the kids.”

No, I went out and found a vehicle I could aff ord to buy and maintain.

Next time, maybe the board can come up with an idea the Bentonville School District taxpayers feel they can afford, while still benefiting the kids.

In plain, rhetorical English, the board may have to drive a Chevrolet awhile before trading up to a Cadillac.

BOB CAUDLE WRITES A HUMOROUS COMMENTARY ON LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL ISSUES. HE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY INSULTER.