ARMOREL -- The Armorel school district could get back a sizable amount from the state of Arkansas.
The district may get back the more than $200,000 payment they made to the state in 2010 because of a state law requires school districts to give the state any extra money received in the first 25 mills of property tax. Armorel was one of six districts in the state required to pay this money in 2010.
Eureka Springs and Fountain Lake school districts sued the state, saying that the districts should be allowed to keep the money. Fountain Lake was required to pay $1.2 million, while Eureka Springs had a bill of $825,000. In September, a judge ruled in favor of the districts, to which the state has recently appealed.
Armorel Superintendent Bruce Young said the money the district sent to the state last spring is currently in an escrow account pending the final court decision.
"If the districts win the appeal, we'll receive a nice check back from the state. If not, we're likely to never see that money again," he said.
Currently, the district has $117,000 budgeted to send the state for the 2011-12 school year under the same provision.
"We're talking about getting back about $300,000," said Young. "That's a lot of money for a little school district like Armorel."
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In other news from the Armorel School District, board member Jason Pruett was unanimously reappointed to the school board, Thursday night, for a one-year term.
afitzpatrick@blythevillecourier.com