BENTONVILLE -- The School District continues to look at land in Bella Vista, but is nowhere close to buying any, according to Superintendent Michael Poore.
The district seemed on the verge of a deal last summer, when Poore told School Board members he had identified three pieces of land suitable for building at least one school.
At A Glance
Gravette Eyeing Bella Vista
Cooper Elementary School is the only school in Bella Vista, but the Gravette School District is considering building a school there. The Gravette School Board will propose a 3.9-mill tax increase to district voters in September to add six classrooms at Gravette High School and build an elementary school on Lancashire Boulevard near the Highlands Gate. The new elementary would be on 17 acres donated by Cooper Communities and would house 232 students in its first year.
Source: Staff Report
The issue fizzled, however, after the board denied Poore the authority to enter into a contract. A vote on the matter ended in a 3-3 tie at an August board meeting. Board member Willie Cowgur was absent.
Board members said at the time they agreed the district needed another school in Bella Vista, but the timing was wrong. It was about a month before voters would be asked to support a 2.9-mill tax increase to build a second high school in Centerton.
The district serves more than 2,000 students in Bella Vista. Cooper Elementary School, which has an enrollment of 643, is the only school in the city. A small number of Bella Vista students must meet their bus by 6:15 each morning. A much greater number must meet their bus by 6:30. Elementary school classes begin at 7:30 a.m. each day.
Wendi Cheatham, board president, said last week the Bella Vista land issue definitely is something the district needs to revisit eventually.
"I don't know when, though," Cheatham said. "I rely on (Poore) to be thinking about the appropriate time to discuss that."
Funding options for the district's next set of needed schools will be discussed at the board's next work session April 24, Poore said.
Grant Lightle, board vice president, said the land issue was tabled last year for several reasons.
One was financial. The board has committed to keeping its fund balance at a minimum of 17 percent of its annual operating budget. Taking money from reserve to pay for land might push the balance close to or below that level, Lightle said. District officials have projected the balance will be $25.4 million at the end of the fiscal year.
Lightle noted the district already has plenty of land off Bright Road in southwest Bentonville. In addition, the district lost about 200 students to Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy this year, lessening the need for another elementary.
"If you look at our numbers now, we probably don't need another grade school for four to five years," Lightle said.
The district is fine in terms of capacity at the elementary level, Poore said. Boundary adjustments likely will be made for the 2015-16 school year based on a study that could be done this summer.
Jack Schreder and Associates, a California firm hired to do a demographic analysis for the district last year, concluded the district would need to build at least one elementary school and acquire a site for a new middle school within the next 10 years.
Jadene Hughes and her family live in north Bella Vista. She has five young children, including two in elementary and one in middle school. Her middle-schooler leaves the house at 6:20 to catch the bus and is on the bus for an hour each morning and afternoon. Her elementary kids must leave at 6:30 to catch their bus.
"They're exhausted. They say all the time, 'I'm just so tired,'" Hughes said. "Yeah, it's hard on their little bodies."
Hughes said she would drive the kids to school herself, but she has two younger children who aren't of school age and it would be unfair to make them wake up so early.
There's a sense of community in Bella Vista, and having another school there would further unify the community, she said.
Brent Leas, a board member who lives in Bella Vista, said he would like to see the district further explore opportunities in his city.
"But I will caution that to say it's probably a hard thing to justify right at this point," Leas said. "Going forward with the added millage that we just asked taxpayers to take on, our focus right now has to be getting that second high school completed on time."
NW News on 03/16/2014