BENTONVILLE — School District officials said they’re pleased with the feedback they’ve received from a series of public forums they’ve hosted over the last two weeks concerning the second high school issue.
The series of 18 forums started April 29 and is set to conclude Wednesday. The School Board will meet Thursday to discuss the issue among themselves and with demographers, architects and district administrators.
At A Glance
Public Forums
Remaining public forums on Bentonville’s second high school proposal:
• 12:00 p.m. Monday, Washington Junior High School, 1501 N.E. Wildcat Way
• 9 a.m. Wednesday, Cooper Elementary School, 2 Blowing Springs, Bella Vista
• 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mary Mae Jones Elementary School, 500 S.E. 14th St.
Source: Staff Report
The board intends to present a millage increase to voters in September to pay for a second high school with a capacity of 2,250 students. The exact millage amount has not been decided, but it likely will be around 3 mills. That would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $60 per year.
Rudy Upshaw, a School Board member, said he has attended 13 forums so far.
“I’m pleased with the community engagement,” Upshaw said. “From the feedback I’m hearing I think the community knows we have an overcrowding problem. They know our high school population is too big, and we probably should not have let it get this big.”
Forum turnout has ranged from about 20 people to about 70 people, Upshaw said.
The board tried for a 6.7 mill increase last year that included money for a second high school with a full set of athletic facilities and other district needs. That attempt failed. This time the millage question is expected to be all about the second high school with fewer athletic facilities.
Holly Shields, a Bentonville resident and mother of two elementary school students, attended a forum Wednesday at Bright Field Middle School.
“I think being involved in this process is very important,” she said.
Shields said she voted for last year’s millage and plans to do so again this year.
“I’m happy with it,” she said about the current proposal. “I think it will be more attractive to the community as a whole.”
Not everyone is happy, however. Jim Parsons, a Bella Vista resident, said he and his civic-action group, the Bella Vista Patriots, would withhold their support of this year’s millage increase unless the district pledges to provide more classroom space for children in Bella Vista. Cooper Elementary School is the only school in Bella Vista.
“We’ll be campaigning hard against this millage if we don’t get something out of it this time,” Parsons said.
Parsons said he attended and spoke at two forums held at Cooper on Tuesday. Brent Leas, a board member from Bella Vista, led the discussion at those two forums.
Leas said concerns were expressed about transportation issues for Bella Vista children, some of whom must be ready to leave for school before 6:30 a.m. in order to make their bus.
The biggest concern he heard from the public was about athletic facilities. Community members said the board shouldn't worry about providing athletic facilities at the second high school equal to what Bentonville High School has, he said.
“The takeaways that were real positive were that most constituents were in favor of moving forward on a growth solution, and most were in favor of that being a second high school,” Leas said.
Superintendent Michael Poore said he's proud of how board members have conducted themselves during the forums.
“They’re not being defensive, they’re just taking information in and asking for solutions,” he said.
The biggest issue is where the second high school will go, Poore said. Two sites — one in Centerton and one in southwest Bentonville — are being considered.
“The farther we’ve gone, the more passionate conversation has been about site,” he said.
The board is expected to settle on the details of its millage proposal at its meeting May 20.