Little Rock School District Superintendent Mike Poore said Thursday night that he wants a ballot referendum no later than May on extending an existing tax to finance about $160 million in school construction and renovation projects.
Poore said it's possible for the referendum to be held between March and May, which keeps with a timeline of paying for improvements as early as next summer, though he noted that he's still seeking community input on the timing.
The additional money would be used to build a 2,250-student high school in southwest Little Rock, overhaul McClellan High and remodel J.A. Fair High, Poore said. The money is about half of the nearly $300 million needed for capital improvement projects throughout the district, Chief Financial Officer Kelsey Bailey said.
Leaders in the state's largest school district are simultaneously trying to cut $11.5 million from the annual budget as state desegregation aid dries up, and they are talking with interested parties about the possibility of closing specific schools. They're also looking for incremental academic progress in schools where poor test scores prompted the Arkansas Department of Education to take control of the district two years ago.
Poore, who told members of the district's state-appointed Community Advisory Board that he wanted them to be aware that he is talking to people in the community about the possible referendum, stressed that it is not a tax increase.
"If we go to the voters for a tax increase right now, it's probably not going to happen, just to be real honest," Poore said. "There's not a great deal of trust. But I think people want the district to do better. This does not impact what they [community members] are going to have to pay on their year-to-year taxes on their home, but it generates a revenue for us for taking care of capital needs."
In the referendum, the district would ask for a 14-year extension of 12.4 mills dedicated to construction projects. That millage, just a portion of the district's total 46.4-mill property tax, equates to a $372 annual tax bill on property appraised at $150,000.
The property-tax mills in question are currently set to expire in 2033, Bailey said after the meeting.
Jeff Wood, the advisory board's chairman, said he wants to get input from the community, but he supports the idea.
"Whatever the public is willing to fix, let's fix it," Wood said after the meeting.
Wood also said he would "reservedly encourage" district leaders to investigate whether making budget cuts beyond the required minimum could free up more money for capital projects.
"There are a lot of serious, significant needs," Wood said. "I want to explore it."
The tax extension would need approval from Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key, who is acting as the state-controlled district's school board. Key's approval would be needed at least two months before the extension appears on the ballot.
Poore has set a Jan. 26 deadline to recommend school closures and other budget cuts to Key. School closures would make up much of the cuts, but the district would also eliminate jobs, enlarge class sizes and reduce some teacher stipends.
Five schools -- Carver, Wilson and Franklin elementary schools, along with Woodruff Early Childhood Center and Hamilton Learning Academy -- are being considered for closure or new uses, Poore has said.
A committee of district staff members and parents studying facility usage will meet in December for the third time, and six hourlong community meetings on budget cuts are set over the next month. Poore has pointed to an enrollment decline in east and downtown Little Rock, and said 2,300 elementary school spaces are vacant districtwide.
Poore said the decisions on school closures will affect the broader budget-cut discussion.
The district has identified $17 million in potential cuts. Cutting $11.5 million, combined with cuts made over the past three years, would make up for the scheduled loss of $37 million in desegregation aid.
On a potential-cuts list, is $3.9 million to come from reducing the number of central office positions, transportation and legal costs, according to a chart Poore provided.
School closures are included on a list of $9 million in cuts "likely" to be implemented. That list also includes staffing reductions at high schools and reductions to stipends offered to teachers who supervise students in the cafeterias or the bus lines.
Cuts identified as a "last resort" include a reduction in employee health insurance contributions, the privatization of janitorial services and reducing bonuses to teachers who have national board certification.
Metro on 11/11/2016