Bentonville Voting Off To Big Start

Thursday, September 12, 2013

BENTONVILLE — More than 2,000 people have voted early in the Bentonville School District’s millage increase election.

On Wednesday, the second day of the early voting period, 1,091 people voted at one of five sites, bringing the two-day total to 2,093, according to Tena O’Brien, Benton County clerk.

Voters are weighing a 2.9-mill tax increase to build a second high school. The election is Tuesday. Early voting continues through Monday.

At A Glance

Early Voting

Early voting in Bentonville’s second high school millage election continues today through Monday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Benton County Clerk’s Office at the following locations:

• 215 E. Central Ave., Bentonville

• 300 W. Poplar St., Rogers

• 707 S. Lincoln St., Siloam Springs

Early voting also will be available 8 a.m.-4 p.m. today and Friday at these sites:

• Riordan Hall, 3 Riordan Road, Bella Vista

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

Source: Staff Report

Michael Poore, district superintendent, said he was pleased by the turnout so far.

“The best news about that is we have more people who voted (Wednesday) than (Tuesday), and that’s good because often you have a big hit the first day and then it tapers off,” Poore said. “People are talking about it.”

Poore said he voted Tuesday morning.

The School Board wants to build a second high school with a capacity of 2,250 students on Gamble Road in Centerton to relieve overcrowding at Bentonville High School.

Six people coming out of the Benton County clerk’s office Wednesday afternoon, when asked to comment on how they voted and why, said they voted for the millage. Two others declined to comment.

Steve Gunter, a retired Bentonville High teacher, and his wife, Linda, both voted for the millage. They brought their grandson, Carter Helms, a first-grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, with them to the clerk’s office.

“There’s not sufficient space in that high school, and I don’t believe it’s safe,” Steve Gunter said. “I think it’s unfair to ask a student to be in a school that’s so crowded.”

The School District pursued a 6.7-mill tax increase in June 2012 to build a second high school. In that election, 9,616 votes were cast, with 4,141 ballots coming in early voting. About 58 percent voted against the tax, leading to the trimmed-down 2.9-mill increase on this year’s ballot.

Mary Ley, district communications director, said she has fielded 10 calls this week from people who had questions about the millage proposal.

At A Glance

Light Turnout

Early turnout is slow in Washington County millage elections for West Fork and Prairie Grove school districts, said Washington County Clerk Becky Lewallen. As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, one ballot had been cast in the Prairie Grove election and four ballots in the West Fork Election.

Prairie Grove is asking voters for a 6-mill tax increase to build a new wing at the intermediate school, a storm shelter and a high school varsity basketball gym. West Fork is seeking a 2-mill increase to add classrooms, restrooms and a physical education gym at the middle school.

The school election is Tuesday. Polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Source: Staff Report

“The ones who have called me for the most part seem like they’re conscientious and they want to support it, but they just wanted to make sure of a few things,” Ley said. “They were all good questions.”

Several of those questions concerned athletic facilities, she said. The district cut a football stadium from last year’s millage request and lowered the cost of athletics by about 60 percent.

There are more than 46,000 registered voters in the Bentonville School District.