TASD voters OK new school

Texarkana, Ark., School District will have a new middle school in the next couple of years, thanks to voters’ unanimous approval Tuesday of a measure to restructure the district’s existing bonds by 30 years, generating $15.6 million.

“We’re very excited,” TASD Superintendent Dr. Becky Kesler said. “We’re very appreciative of all the voters who came out to support us, and we can’t say how thankful we are at the support we’ve received.”

Complete but unofficial results show 1,111 votes in favor of the restructure and 281 against.

The measure will not increase the district’s 38.9-mill tax, which includes which includes 25 mills for maintenance and operations and 13.9 mills for debt service.

The $15.6 million will be added to $6 million in state partnership funds the district applied for in 2015 and was granted in May. To receive the funds, TASD must begin the

middle school project by Oct. 27, 2018.

Kesler said it was one of the largest voter turnouts they’ve had in many years. For the next step, she said the district’s financial analyst will restructure the bonds, then they will begin meeting with the architect and district teachers to get an idea of what the school is going to look like.

“We’re going to let our teachers design the new school,” she said, adding that the process would take about two years—one to design the building and another for construction.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade will attend the district’s elementary schools, and students in sixth through eighth grades would attend the new school.

The new school is expected to include science labs and study spaces to allow the district to expand its science, technology, engineering and math programs.

TASD recently received a $14.7 million federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education to extend STEM education from the elementary schools to the middle and high schools. A $9.4 million magnet grant in 2013 and a $9.7 million grant in 2007 allowed the district to implement STEM programs at the elementary level.

School officials plan to combine College Hill and Union elementary schools into College Hill Middle School’s building and North Heights Junior High School would become an elementary school.