BENTONVILLE — Bentonville School Board members will host a series of public forums over the next two weeks to get feedback on building a second high school.
Sixteen meetings have been scheduled between Monday and May 15. There will be at least one board member and one central office administrator at each meeting, according to Mary Ley, School District spokeswoman.
The meetings will be at different times of the day and at different places, almost all of them schools.
The public is invited to all of the meetings. Parents will receive email and text reminders from the district about each meeting, Ley said.
Rudy Upshaw, a board member, has committed to being at seven of the meetings.
“It’s very critical that we get not just feedback, but we really make sure the community knows they are engaged in this process,” Upshaw said. “These meetings are essential to the process.”
The board has assembled a skeletal framework of how the second high school might look. Public input will help board members fill in the details regarding such things as athletic facilities and the auditorium size.
The location also has not been decided. The board is considering two sites: Gamble Road in Centerton and Bright Road in southwest Bentonville.
Board members will meet May 16 to discuss public feedback; then, at their meeting May 20, they will finalize the plan to be voted on in September.
At A Glance
Public Forums
Public forums on building a second high school in Bentonville will be held:
• Monday, 5:30 p.m., Bright Field Middle School, 5101 S.W. Bright Road, Bentonville
• Tuesday, 7:45 a.m., Mary Mae Jones Elementary School, 500 S.E. 14th St., Bentonville
• Wednesday, 6:30 p.m., Apple Glen Elementary School, 1801 N.E. Brave Lane, Bentonville
• May 5, 3 p.m., Bright Field Middle School
• May 6, 8:30 a.m., Willowbrook Elementary School, 1800 S.W. Gator Blvd., Bentonville
• May 6, 9:30 a.m., Bright Field Middle School
• May 6, 7 p.m., Lifepoint Church, 409 W. Centerton Blvd., Centerton
• May 7, 9 a.m., Cooper Elementary School, 2 Blowing Springs Road, Bella Vista
• May 7, 4 p.m., Mary Mae Jones Elementary School
• May 7, 6 p.m., Cooper Elementary School
• May 8, 5:30 p.m., Willowbrook Elementary School
• May 9, 9 a.m., Central Park Elementary, 1400 S.W. Liberty Ave., Bentonville
• May 9, 6:30 p.m, Old High Middle School, 406 N.W. Second St., Bentonville
• May 9, 6:30 p.m., Central Park Elementary School
• May 15, 9 a.m., Cooper Elementary School
• May 15, 5:30 p.m., Mary Mae Jones Elementary School
Source: Staff Report