The annual school elections were held Tuesday, May 13.
In a neck and neck Deer/Mt. Judea (D/MJ) school board race unofficial results showed Kenny King the winner with 32 votes while incumbent Anthony Casey received 31. It was too early to know if there will be a recount. The Newton County Election Commission will meet to certify the election.
In the Ozark Mountain School District's (OMSD) bid for a millage extension, the electorate apparently disagreed with the proposal as the measure failed 236 votes for and 362 votes against. Again the results are unofficial until the Searcy County Election Commission convenes to certify the election which used paper ballots.
The Jasper School District, D/MJ and OMSD all have campuses located in Newton County.
The OMSD ballot listed two measures for voters' consideration: One school board candidate, Randall Barton Beaver, ran uncontested for Position #7. The ballot also included information on the school district's 36.5 mill tax.
"The total rate proposed above includes the uniform rate of 25.0 mills (the “Statewide Uniform Rate”) to be collected on all taxable property in the State and remitted to the State Treasurer pursuant to Amendment No. 74 to the Arkansas Constitution to be used solely for maintenance and operation of schools in the State. As provided in Amendment No. 74, the Statewide Uniform Rate replaces a portion of the existing rate of tax levied by this School District and available for maintenance and operation of schools in this District. The total proposed school tax levy of 36.5 mills includes 25.0 mills specifically voted for general maintenance and operation and 11.5 mills voted for debt service previously voted as a continuing levy pledged for the retirement of existing bonded indebtedness. The existing 11.5 debt service mills now pledged for the retirement of existing bonded indebtedness, which debt service mills will continue after retirement of the bonds to which now pledged, will be a continuing debt service tax until the retirement of proposed bonds to be issued in the principal amount of $3,625,000, and which will mature over a period of 30 years, and will be issued for the purpose of refunding the District's Refunding Bonds, dated June 1, 2012; replacing multiple roofs; renovating and creating office space and secure entry ways at certain buildings; renovating bus garage; and constructing, refurbishing, remodeling and equipping other school facilities. The surplus revenues produced each year by the debt service millage may be used by the District for other school purposes," the ballot read.
The total proposed school tax levy of 36.5 mills represents the same tax rate currently being levied.
Just as early voting began Tuesday, May 6, a town hall meeting was held at the Eros Community Building. The meeting was called by Tommy Dean Johnson, who serves as a justice of the peace on the Marion County Quorum Court. He said he did not call the meeting as a county official, but only as a concerned citizen. He was joined at the meeting by Bruce Emerson, a poultry farmer who lives near Pyatt.
From the perspective of Johnson, Emerson and others, the extension of the 11.5 mills constitutes a new tax.
Emerson called the 11.5 mills previous and 11.5 mills going forward "sleight of hand." When that bond expires a new bond is going to be written for 30 years. That's a new bond. The old one would sunset in 2028 and it would be gone. He said the bond is being extended so the school district can refinance debt.
The elephant in the room, however, is the questionable future of the Bruno-Pyatt Elementary School located just up the highway from the community building where the meeting was being held. Speculation is that the school will be closed by the school district because only around 27 students are currently attending classes there and the campus is operating at a deficit of approximately $436,000 using last year's M and O expenditures and this year's salaries of employees.
An informational letter and a survey were sent to the school's parents asking if they would leave their child in the district if the Bruno-Pyatt campus was to close. About half the surveys indicated the students would stay. The school district also notified patrons that the school would hold kindergarten registration much earlier than normal for the 2025-26 school year.
Last January, the school district's board of education met at the school in regular session. Superintendent Jeff Lewis said, "I do think it is too soon. I don't think we're ready for this... (he was careful not to suggest the possibility of closing the school), but there are going to have to be some changes," the superintendent told the board.
He noted some of the school's teachers have resigned and he thought combining some grade levels could be done. It's not ideal, but it's been done in the past.
He reported that the early kindergarten registration netted zero students. That doesn't mean that between now and next August we are not going to have some new kindergarteners.
Something else he suggested is having meals prepared at another campus in the school district, either St. Joe in Searcy County or Western Grove in Newton County, and brought to the school located in Marion County. That would save the expense of a staff position salary and the cost of maintaining equipment.
Lewis told the board he would push School Choice "as hard as we can push it."
He said there is the possibility of getting a transportation modernization grant that would allow the district to purchase some SUVs to transport small numbers of students.
"I agree that we need to exhaust all options before we do anything," Lewis said.
The school district's financial adviser Dan Lovelady with First Security and Aliza Jones, the school district's contracted consultant to help planning new facilities, were at the February meeting to discuss extension of the school district's current millage and meeting school district needs. Some of those needs include building roofs, new heating, air-conditioning and ventilation equipment and some construction at the St. Joe School's bus garage which needs some modifications to allow mechanics to work on new and larger school buses.
Lewis recently notified the school board that he will resign from the superintendent's position at the end of his contract in June. He is returning to the coaching ranks and accepted a job in the Harrison School District.
Regardless of the outcome of Tuesdays election, Emerson indicated a strategy is being developed that will remove Marion County from the Ozark Mountain School District.
Johnson said Wednesday after the election he was surprised by the turnout and thought the result would have been closer. A closer look at the unofficial results show that in Marion County votes counted against the continuation of the millage was 201 and 23 for; Newton County, 186 for and 23 against and Searcy County, 137 against and 49 for.
In Newton County, The Deer/Mt. Judea School Board has three positions, two of which were uncontested. Michael Rhoades ran for Zone 2, while Jacob Shaw ran for Zone 1. There was one race in the Deer/Mt. Judea School Board, Zone 5, where former school board member Kenneth L. King challenged the sitting board member Anthony L. Casey.
The Jasper School Board had one uncontested race. Lisa Snow was on the ballot for Zone 2. There will be a measure on the ballot for both school boards to keep their millages the same.
The OMSD board is scheduled to meet in special session at Western Grove Friday night, May 16, to review applications for the superintendent's position. The next regular meeting is set for 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 20, at the St. Joe Elementary School campus.
