Farmington board supports new junior high, other projects

FARMINGTON — The Farmington School Board approved a resolution at its Sept. 25 meeting to show local support for a new junior high school and other planned projects outlined in the district’s six-year Facilities Master Plan.

The resolution says the district will apply for state partnership money during the 2025-27 funding cycle.

Capital projects on the master list are a new junior high school for eighth and ninth grades and new roofs for Williams and Folsom elementaries and the middle school.

The master plan also shows a potential reconfiguration of existing campuses with the opening of a new junior high school. The proposed reconfiguration:

• Folsom and Williams would house prekindergarten-second grade.

• The current middle school would become an intermediate school with third and fourth grades.

• The current junior high would become a middle school with fifth-seventh grades.

• A new junior high would house eighth and ninth grades. • The high school would remain the same with 10th-12th grades.

The board in a special meeting Sept. 12 gave its approval for school administrators to proceed with a new junior high building, instead of a third elementary school, which has been on the district’s master facilities list for about six years.

Jon Laffoon, superintendent, pointed out that being able to apply for partnership money to help build a new school is critical for the district. Presently, the school is not eligible to receive any state funds for a new elementary school.

Through the assistance of the district’s facilities consultant, Aliza Jones, administrators determined that building a new junior high and reconfiguring campuses will give the district the best chance for being approved for partnership funds.

“Instead of building two additions and an elementary school, this will allow us to build one school and possibly add onto the high school in a few years,” Laffoon said.

Laffoon said the district administratively approved requests from two students to transfer to the Fayetteville School District but denied an incoming transfer request from a 10th grader from Fayetteville.

“That is our largest class, and in talking to administration, that grade level is completely full,” Laffoon said.

The Arkansas LEARNS Act requires school districts to look at each student transfer request individually. If there is space for a student, Laffoon will approve those administratively. However, if there is not space, those requests will come before the School Board for consideration.

The board upheld Laffoon’s recommendation to deny the transfer request.

In other action, the School Board endorsed community service partnership sites for students to earn their community service hours as part of the new graduation requirements for those students now in ninth grade.

The Arkansas LEARNS Act requires students, starting with the current freshman class, to complete 75 community service hours to graduate. LEARNS stands for literacy, empowerment, accountability, readiness, networking and safety. The state recommends 15 hours in ninth grade and 20 hours in 10th, 11th and 12th grade.

The board endorsed the following sites as community service partners: Center Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, Farmington United Methodist Church, Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Lincoln and Gospel Tracts International in Fayetteville.

Laffoon said he expects the district will receive more requests from organizations to be endorsed as volunteer sites as time goes on.

Joe McClung, assistant superintendent, last week said the state has given school districts initial guidance on the required community service hours but not final rules. He said the district wanted to offer sites for students to start earning their community service hours.

McClung said the guidance recommends that the School Board vote to endorse organizations, so Farmington is doing that in case it becomes one of the rules approved by the state in the future.

The state also has an endorsed list that students can use. Most nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies and educational institutions are eligible groups for community service hours.

The board approved the consent agenda, which included the monthly financial statements. Laffoon pointed out the legal balance is significantly higher than past years and that is because the school has received its money from the LEARNS Act for teacher salaries. For each pay period, salaries will be up by $100,000 each month. The LEARNS Act required schools to pay all teachers a minimum salary of $50,000.