04 Sep 2015 South Conway County district asks voters for millage increase to address safety concerns

Voters in the South Conway County School District are being asked to approve a 3.9 millage increase Tuesday, Sept. 15, that will help address safety concerns while positioning the district for the future.

The theme for the millage campaign is “For Our Children, Our School, Our Community & Our Future!”

District Superintendent Shawn Halbrook points out that the SCCSD’s mission statement is ‘To Love, To Serve, To Care’ to maximize the safety, learning and achievement of every scholar, every day. “With this mission in mind, the SCCSD has a vision to be proactive in offering its students, staff and learning community facilities that provide for a safer and more secure environment.”

In June, the South Conway County Board of Education approved a finance plan to fund $23,450,000 for the construction of safer and more secured school buildings and a multipurpose arena to meet the growing demands of the school district and community.

Citing safety as the district’s No. 1 priority, Halbrook said the millage increase would enable construction of three tornado safe rooms at Morrilton Primary School (MPS), Morrilton Elementary (MES) and Morrilton Junior/High School (MJHS and MHS) to accommodate about 2,400 people.

“The tornado safe rooms will be available to all members of the community after school hours in the event of severe/tornadic weather,” Halbrook said.

The millage would also help address access issues at two schools.

“Presently, visitors can enter into the intermediate school and junior high without entering the office. Visitors walk through the hallways with students to check-in at the offices of those schools. This is a risk to the students in those buildings.”

Millage proceeds would also be used to build a multipurpose arena to be used to bring various events that will have a major economic impact on the local businesses.

“The SCCSD is also committed to providing facilities that reflect the excellence of the community,” Halbrook said. “The new facilities at each campus will prepare our school district for anticipated student growth and be a catalyst for economic development in our community.

The South Conway County School District current millage rate is 35.40. Halbrook points out that with the increase, the district will still be below other districts, including Pottsville, Atkins, Russellville, Greenbrier and Vilonia.

To illustrate the increase, a property owner with a home valued at $100,000, an additional $78 per year, $6.50 per month, or 21¢ per day in property taxes to support the SCCSD students with a 3.9 mill increase. “This investment in our kids, our schools and our community can positively affect future generations,” said Halbrook.

Early voting takes place through Monday, Sept. 14.

For more information about the proposal, visit sccsd.org/millage/, southconwaycountykids.com, facebook.com/SouthConwayCountySchoolDistrict or facebook.com/SouthConwayCountyKids. Questions can also be answered by contacting Shawn Halbrook at 501.354.9400 or [email protected], or school board president John Gibson at 501.354.9400 or [email protected].