BENTONVILLE — An email written by a School District administrator urging parents to support Bright Road in Bentonville as the site for a second high school has raised concern among district officials.
The email was sent to at least a few dozen parents Monday, the same day the School Board voted in favor of building the second high school on Gamble Road in Centerton.
A copy of the email shows Trish Wood as its author. Wood is an assistant principal at Bright Field Middle School. She didn't return a phone message left for her at the school Wednesday.
Travis Riggs, board president, said the writer apparently didn't use a district email account, but he expressed concern the email might have been written during school time using a school computer.
At A Glance
A Second High School
The Bentonville School Board will propose a 2.91-mill bond issue to voters in September to build a second high school in Centerton for 2,250 students. The cost is estimated at $86,047,778. That includes about $13.2 million for furniture and equipment and $8.8 million for athletic facilities.
Source: Staff Report
School resources may not be used to campaign either for or against a millage proposal, he said.
“There are a lot of legal ramifications here and I hope they understand what they’ve done,” Riggs said at Monday’s board meeting.
“What’s even more alarming is (the email) was all opinions,” Riggs said. “There were no facts. That bothers me. We have an administrator who hasn’t been to any of our meetings as far as I know, hasn’t been to any of our facilities meetings. To jump on a controversial issue like this without clearing it with the district, without getting the facts right. I’m just absolutely amazed that happened.”
Superintendent Michael Poore declined to confirm the email author’s identity, but said Wednesday the matter was still being investigated.
“We’ve met with that employee, and we have another meeting set up,” Poore said. “I hope to have it resolved by the end of this week.”
Poore said he wasn’t certain whether the district was obligated to report the email to the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
“That’s still under investigation as to whether that’s an appropriate step we need to take,” he said.
The email starts by discussing the proposal to use schools as polling places for the millage election in September. It refers to links included in the email to two articles recommending that voting be removed from all schools for safety reasons.
The email goes on to talk about picking Gamble Road as the site for the second high school.
“The Mayor of Centerton is actively campaigning for this & apparently promising our school board that Centerton will kick in money for infrastructure and other things,” the email states. “This isn’t money that Centerton has in their budget, it’s money that they are looking to make from taxes & new businesses that he believes will come with the new HS.”
Bill Edwards, mayor of Centerton, said Centerton City Council recently approved spending $1.4 million for roads and infrastructure at the site if voters approve the millage increase to pay for the new high school.
“We have the money in reserves,” Edwards said.
The email also points out there is one elementary school near the Centerton site and four schools in the Bright Road area.
“The quick view would lead one to think Centerton the best option,” the email states. “I believe this would be a short term vision. In looking at the current enrollments in the lower level grades it is apparent that we will need another elementary, middle school & junior high in less than 10 years. Given the schools currently on the two land sites, I see the only sensible option as being the Bright Road site.
“If you disagree with me on these issues I will understand, we are all entitled to an opinion :). If you agree, I ask you to please become actively vocal before it is too late.”