Rogers officials tout school millage request

Kristen Cobbs, Rogers School Board president, voices support Thursday for the School District’s. proposed millage increase.
Kristen Cobbs, Rogers School Board president, voices support Thursday for the School District’s. proposed millage increase.

ROGERS -- School District and city officials Thursday cited a history of strong fiscal management and projections of significant enrollment growth as reasons to support the district's request to hike the millage.

They gathered in front of the district's Administration Building for a news conference about the proposed 3.5-mill tax increase, which will be presented to voters May 9.

Information Meetings

Three public meetings are scheduled to provide information about the Rogers School District’s millage request.

April 19, 6:30 p.m., at the Rogers Activity Center, 315 W. Olive St.

April 25, 5:30 p.m., at the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce’s Lowell office, 506 Enterprise Drive, Lowell

May 2, 5:30 p.m., at the Rogers Public Library, 711 S. Dixieland Road

Source: Rogers School District

"I want to reiterate to the public this millage will be a positive way to keep our schools safe and to respond to the ever-increasing need to accommodate our growth," said Kristen Cobbs, School Board president.

The board voted unanimously in February to ask voters for a millage increase. The proposal, if approved, would raise Rogers' millage rate to 41.9. That would raise the rate from the 14th-highest to the 10th-highest among the 15 school districts in Benton and Washington counties.

The increase would cost home owners about $70 extra per year for every $100,000 of home value.

No organized group has publicly opposed the millage hike.

Money raised would go toward the construction of two elementary schools. The first would open in August 2019. The second likely would open two years later.

The additional millage money also would be used to enhance safety and security and improve the technology infrastructure for schools across the district.

Mayors of the communities the district covers -- Greg Hines of Rogers, Eldon Long of Lowell and Gary Blackburn of Garfield -- all appeared at Thursday's news conference and spoke in favor of the millage request.

The district hasn't requested an increase since 2003.

"I think it's a real testament ... when you can say for 14 years, the men and women of our School Board and the administration of this district have watched our dollars closely and have spent them wisely and invested them wisely," Hines said.

Long said he believes the tax increase would have little impact on residents' finances. He urged the public to consider their home values when they go to the polls.

"People move to Northwest Arkansas based on these amenities and our schools that this area has to offer, and I really believe schools are a primary reason a lot of people choose to come to Rogers, Garfield and Lowell," Long said. "Our home values are great here, people love living here."

Less than a year ago, the board turned down an offer of $2.3 million from the state's Academic Facilities Partnership Program to help pay for construction of an elementary school.

The district would have had to complete the building project within four years to qualify for that state aid. The board agreed with administrators Rogers had no need for another school within that time frame based on projections showing a slight decline in elementary-level enrollment over the next five years.

Last fall, however, the district experienced a sudden and unexpected surge in enrollment of more than 350 students, its largest increase in the past decade. Most of that increase came at the elementary level. Officials have said the district will grow by 275 to 425 students in the next two years.

More than 110 elementary students attend a school other than the one they're zoned for because there are no openings at their neighborhood school.

Raymond Burns, president and chief executive officer of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce, said after careful consideration, the chamber board unanimously endorsed the district's millage request.

"We have one of the best school districts, one of the best-run school districts in the state of Arkansas," Burns said. "We hope this passes on May 9."

Nathan Gairhan, a School Board member, said all seven board members will contribute to the campaign for the millage.

NW News on 04/07/2017

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