Resistance To Bentonville Millage Remains

Students transition between classes on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013, at Bentonville High School. The school started the new school year Monday with more than 4,200 students, a number that's expected to increase to 5,000 within three years.
Students transition between classes on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2013, at Bentonville High School. The school started the new school year Monday with more than 4,200 students, a number that's expected to increase to 5,000 within three years.

BENTONVILLE — Opponents of the proposed millage increase to build a second high school give different reasons for their intention to vote against it.

Some say taxes are already too high or the millage cost is too much. Some dislike the proposed location in Centerton. Some are still skeptical about the need for a second high school.

Others, such as Jim Parsons of Bella Vista, have developed reasons of their own.

Parsons has lobbied the district for months to build a second elementary school in Bella Vista. Without proof the district intends to move forward with such a project, Parsons said he will vote against the second high school in the Sept. 17 election.

Parsons, president of the community group Bella Vista Patriots, leads the closest thing to an organized campaign against the millage. A 4-foot by 8-foot sign next to the Arkansas Welcome Center in Bella Vista displays Parsons’ slogan, “No ticky, no washy,” which he explains is based on an “old Chinese laundry slogan” that if you don’t have a ticket, you don’t get your clothes washed.

At A Glance

Early Voting

Bentonville’s second high school millage election will be Sept. 17. Early voting starts Tuesday and will be available 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Benton County Clerk’s Office at the following locations:

• 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville

• 300 W. Poplar St. in Rogers

• 707 S. Lincoln St. in Siloam Springs

Early voting also will be available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at these sites:

• Riordan Hall, 3 Riordan Road in Bella Vista

• Centerton Firehouse, 755 W. Centerton Blvd. in Centerton

Source: Staff report

Though the sign states “Paid by Bella Vista Patriots,” Parsons said he used $176 of his own money on the sign.

“We do have a Patriot legal fund, and I didn’t want to be speaking for all of our Patriots in spending our money,” Parsons said. “I didn’t want my members thinking I was spending their money. I know some of these Patriots probably are for the millage.”

Parsons said the group has about 220 members.

The School District is exploring the possibility of buying land in Bella Vista that would be suitable for building a new school. Michael Poore, district superintendent, said last month he had identified three such sites. The School Board decided to postpone allowing Poore the authority to enter into a contract on a land purchase until after the millage election.

Steve Carter, a Bentonville lawyer, distributed a mailer last year in response to the School Board’s 6.7-mill proposal to build a second high school. The mailer compared school millage rates and past school construction costs and argued a ninth-grade center would be a better option to ease overcrowding at the high school.

Last year’s proposal failed with about 58 percent of voters voting against it.

Though he appreciates the board’s work in reducing the cost to 2.9 mills this time, Carter said last week he intends to vote against the current proposal.

“I believe this board is at risk of taking our school district from great to mediocre because of potential budget constraints related to operating the facilities they have coming online,” Carter said. “Those constraints may result in eliminating or reducing academic offerings, which could and probably will negatively impact performance.”

Carter said he has no plans to send out a mailer to voters this year.

Travis Riggs, School Board president, said the board understands what opening a new high school will do and the challenges that will pose.

“We know we will have tight budgets,” Riggs said. “But you can’t continually vote ‘no’ in a district that’s growing. I think our district has belabored this point long enough. It’s time to take action.”

Riggs said he didn’t believe Carter had attended any of the numerous public meetings the board has hosted on the millage this year.

“If he thinks he can do it better, then he should run for a position on the board,” Riggs said.

Space is tight at Bentonville High School and growing tighter. The school has an ideal capacity of 3,737 and now has about 4,100 students. Riggs said his son, a Bentonville High student, has a class in a room that used to be a storage closet.

“If you want to be a negative person you can find reasons to vote no. We’ve got a growing district and a responsibility to keep it moving forward,” Riggs said.

Jim Brummett, a Centerton resident, attended a public meeting about the millage last week. He said he plans to vote against it, mainly because of the cost.

“In this country we have gotten so affluent we think $5 here and $5 there is not big money,” Brummett said. “More money does not automatically equate to better education. I believe we need to be fiscally responsible.”

Brummett admitted, however, Bentonville High is crowded. He pulled his son out of the school and got him transferred to Gravette High School for that very reason, he said.

Todd Holscher, who lives in south Bentonville, also will vote against the millage — not because of the cost, but because he views the board’s proposal as “unimpressive” in terms of the actual facility.

Holscher doesn’t blame the School Board or superintendent for the proposal they’ve put forth, but said he wants “different things.”

“I value investment in education above anything,” Holscher said. “I want more than what $5 per month will provide.”

Poore said it’s nearly impossible to get 100 percent of a community to support an issue such as the millage. He agreed there are many different views on it.

“In one way it’s a compliment that there’s not a rallying cry of, ‘This is what’s wrong with it,’” Poore said. “The complaints are individualized.”

Poore noted, however, the board has done everything it can to lower the cost. It’s gotten a $13 million grant from the state to help pay for the school, and the need isn’t going away.

Dana Davis, president of the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the millage campaign committee, said the campaign’s primary focus is getting people to understand what the millage is about.

“It’s about overcrowding. It’s about providing excellent opportunities for our kids,” Davis said. “We have $13 million we can obtain from the state for this project that we’ll be unlikely to qualify for in future years. We’re trying to get that out first.”

The campaign also is focused on likely voters, many of whom didn’t vote last year for various reasons.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people who say they voted ‘no’ last time and are voting ‘yes’ this year,” Davis said.

As of Thursday, the campaign had raised $44,354 for its efforts.

“I think that shows what kind of support we’re getting from the community,” he said.

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