An Arkansas legislator has introduced a bill in the state Senate to establish one school district in each county of Arkansas, and at least one local school official is skeptical of the plan.
Sen. Ruth Whitaker of Cedarville introduced Senate Bill 734, which would establish county-wide school districts in the state.
"The purpose of this subchapter is to provide for an economically efficient system of countywide administration for Arkansas public schools," the bill reads.
The legislation gives the Arkansas State Board of Education until July 1, 2012, to reorganize all public school districts so that there is only one administrative level in each county.
The bill also provides that the county lines will determine the boundaries of the school districts.
If approved, the bill would establish only one board of directors and one superintendent for each county-wide district.
Blytheville Superintendent Richard Atwill said the bill could indeed cut costs of education in the state, but would cause a myriad of other problems.
"What happens to the varying millage rates within the county?" Atwill asked.
As districts operate now, each has its own property assessments and millage rates based on those assessments. It is the tax collected to support the functions of the district.
"Combining those, or even figuring out a way to handle them, would be a nightmare," Atwill said.
The same is true of each district's bond and debt service payments.
Each district is allowed to issue bonds to reap revenue to pay for various projects, such as construction of facilities. How will a countywide district distribute that debt? Atwill asked.
But more importantly, what would the consolidation of districts mean to the individual towns and communities?
"The school is the heart of the community," Atwill said.
Atwill likened the situation to schools that were closed in other consolidations or when schools were desegregated. Schools "lost their complete identity in the consolidation," Atwill said. "They lost their mascot, school colors and sense of pride."
Most consolidations are caused by declining enrollment, which is caused by the migration of population to larger cities and towns.
"In areas where populations are declining, county-wide districts may be the right solution," Atwill said. "But since the bill makes no mention of any enrollment or population requirements, it clearly doesn't take that into account."
Since Whitaker is from a rural area, Atwill said he suspects that school districts there have been forced to consolidate.
"She may be hoping to force all schools to do what hers had to do," he said.
The bill also does not address what would happen to districts that currently cross county lines, such as Buffalo Island in Monette (Craighead County) and Leachville (Mississippi County). Would the district be split into its separate county districts? As the bill now reads, that would be the case.
So far, Senate Bill 734 has been introduced in the Arkansas Senate and was referred to the Senate Education Committee.
dhilton@blythevillecourier.com