School officials are making plans for the Hartford School District to merge with its neighbor, Hackett, in anticipation that Hartford's enrollment will continue to fall below the state-mandated minimum of 350 students.
Hartford school officials plan to meet with community members and answer questions during a meeting Thursday. A meeting for the Hackett community is planned during the Aug. 21 open house.
The school boards for both districts met Thursday to discuss details involved with a possible annexation. If both boards adopt resolutions for the districts to join, they would file a petition to be considered by the State Board of Education in January, Hartford Superintendent Teresa Ragsdale said.
If the annexation plan is approved, Hartford schools would remain open and would keep their names and mascots but would become part of the Hackett School District, Ragsdale said. Hartford High School would have a separate high school graduation ceremony.
The Hartford football program, however, would not continue, she said. Hartford students who want to play football would play on the Hackett football team.
All other sports would remain at Hartford, Ragsdale said.
State law prohibits school districts from continuing to operate if enrollment dips below 350 students for two consecutive years. School districts have the option of joining voluntarily with another district, or the state Board of Education can force the district to be annexed by or consolidate with one or more districts.
Hartford has struggled with low enrollment for several years, with enrollment dipping to 342 students in the 2013-14 school year. Ragsdale doesn't anticipate much change this year. She said the district will continue moving forward with the annexation plan even if enrollment rises above 350 students.
Working families who live in Hartford often work in Fort Smith or Greenwood and find that transferring to a school on their route to work is more convenient, she said.
"There's just not any industry here in Hartford to have young people stay," Ragsdale said. "They're having to leave the community in order to find jobs."
The Hartford School Board wants to plan ahead rather than wait for the state Board of Education to force a merger with an unknown partner, Ragsdale said. By planning now, the School Board can have some say in what happens with Hartford schools. Except for her position, Ragsdale anticipates that all other staff members would remain.
"In order to ensure Hartford schools stay here, we're going to need to go to a district that's willing to keep us open," Ragsdale said. "Hackett is the one willing to work with us the most."
Hackett Superintendent Bill Pittman described the districts as longtime friends and rivals with campuses that are 15 miles apart.
The annexation plan under consideration would maintain the existing Hackett School Board as a five-member board that is elected by a vote of the entire school district, Pittman said. Hartford residents could run for an at-large position on the board.
For Hackett, with an enrollment of about 600 students, the annexation would create a larger district, Pittman said. Were legislators to raise the threshold for remaining a school district above 350 students, a larger student body would give the district greater security, he said.
"It's very positive for both districts," Pittman said. "We're going to continue to operate their K-12 campus as long as possible."
Metro on 08/09/2014