Garfield’s gamble

Will a charter save a historic school?

The namesake of Garfield, the little town of around 600 residents in northern Benton County, is the nation’s 20th president. James Garfield came into office in 1881, the same year the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad, often called the “Frisco” railroad, came through Benton County. The small farming community had previously been known as Blansett, the name of a farmer who owned much of the land in the area.

At the time, the rail depot there helped Garfield grow — in two major ways: Area farmers produced fruit crops and the introduction of the railroad created a much easier way to get their harvests to market. Their good fortunes, in turn, led to growth of the town’s population and development of its business community.

Forty years later, a new school building was built. Then, 20 years after that, in pre-war 1941, construction workers completed the town’s new, larger school, a stone building that, according to a 1996 nomination for the National Register of Historic Places, was “designed in the heavy Rustic Revival stone style popular for public school construction throughout the Ozark Mountain region of the state during and immediately after the Depression.”

Can you imagine going back to 1941 and telling residents the town’s schoolchildren would still be learning in that building 82 years later? Today, it’s Garfield Elementary, a part of the Rogers School District.

Those familiar with their presidential histories likely know James Garfield for one reason, and it’s a tragic one. His presidency came to a premature end after 200 days. On July 2, 1881, he was shot by an attorney who believed himself responsible for Garfield’s election and angered by the president’s refusal to grant the man a political appointment. President Garfield clung to life, however, and even appeared to improve. It wasn’t until Sept. 19 that an infection and internal hemorrhage took his life.

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Little Garfield Elementary has clung to life for years longer than similarly situated schools across the state. It’s been in the news in recent years because of its age, its architectural limitations in the context of modern schooling/workplaces and its place in the grand scheme of educating the kids of the Rogers School District. The Rogers School Board in January voted to close the school after the 2023-24 school year.

The district, no doubt mindful of the value the town’s residents place on the historic school and its role in defining Garfield’s identity, added on to the school in 1990 and 1996 and has made other investments, but its age, condition and the changing dynamics of the school district make keeping it open a serious challenge, at least from the point of efficiency.

It is by far the smallest elementary school in the district, with slightly more than 100 students. The reason to keep it open is because of what the building and school mean to Garfield; in the context of school district needs, every metric beyond nostalgia suggests shutting it down. School district officials say it would take millions to bring the building up to current building codes and to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. The price tag is far bigger than building a new and larger school. And the district would still have a facility inadequate to its needs.

District officials also say a new school wouldn’t be best situated in Garfield, given the district’s student demographics.

It’s heartbreaking, understandably, for people with long histories related to Garfield and the surrounding area. Despite its 82-year history, some of the folks in Garfield still insist closing the school will mark a premature end to its educational service to the community. Mayor Gary Blackburn has said the school is the heart of the community.

The decision to shutter it, however, has been made. Now comes an idea: Why not open a charter school in the old, familiar building?

Garfield Scholars’ Academy, to be operated by a nonprofit organization, might be a possibility in the favorable regulatory conditions established by Gov. Sarah Sanders and the state Legislature. The “new” school would be designed for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. A notice of intent filed with the state suggests the school would be publicly funded, which may be possible given the liberalization of limits on the use of public funds for private and charter schools.

“When we open our doors in the fall of 2024, our school will continue the history of being the longest continually operating elementary school in the state of Arkansas,” the notice of intent states. “We intend to provide an opportunity rich environment fostering the development of successful, life-long learners with deep community involvement.”

Is development of a charter school a win-win or a sentimental reaction filled with wishful thinking?

Who are we to say it’s not possible, but recognizing the challenges is simply reality. Regardless of who operates a school there, that really old building needs substantial work. That won’t disappear simply because the community wants to dream of keeping it open.

In the simplest terms, it’s easy to understand the push for a charter school. But advocates need to ponder whether they’re thinking with just their hearts and not their heads. Is this a campaign to produce the best possible education for the children or to preserve a school for sentimental reasons?

Being a top- quality charter school isn’t simple at all. Charter schools, by definition, are designed to deliver an educational opportunity that, in some people’s evaluation, excels beyond what the local school district offers.

It undoubtedly feels good to ponder the possibility, but the charter school route is a tough path. Parents will ultimately have to conclude that preserving a school building in a specific location equates to delivering the best elementary school education possible for their kids. Will it be that, or will it be an exercise of clinging to a past that doesn’t serve students as well as remaining part of the Rogers School District? With a fledgling charter school, they will undoubtedly be gambling with their children’s education.

Gambles sometime pay off. If supporters of the charter school can succeed, Garfield can celebrate a success story most other small towns haven’t been able to pull off. Maybe the changes happening in Little Rock, at the state Legislature and Department of Education, have changed the way things will play out.

We, obviously, remain skeptical. Eliminate the emotional connection to the building and school history and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who believes the 82-yearold structure in Garfield is the top-tier location and facility for a successful charter school in 2023.