Milton Crenchaw: Arkansas Native, Tuskeegee Airman

Marion Schools want 5 mils

Fenter: ‘This is about the community chosng to invest in its own.’

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion School District will be asking voters to consider approving a 5 mil increase in the school tax in order to fund continued infrastructure upgrades to help the school district continue to grow and attract new students in an era of school choice.

Superintendent Dr. Glen Fenter said the milage increase would generate about $25 million, and outlined a series of spending proposals – everything from giving teachers a three percent pay raise, to building a new elementary school gymnasium, to upgrading the high school cafeteria, to building a community recreation complex – that will help the district remain competitive and ahead of the curve.

“We are in a situation where if we want Marion to continue to grow and evolve, then it rests on our door step,” Fenter said. “I think it is important that we recognize that the most important component of our community rests within our public school. If we are going to help Marion continue to grow and prosper, it will be based on programming that is implemented in our school district.”

Fenter said the last thing the school district wants to do is ask for more money by raising taxes. But the fact is that there is no money available from the state for building projects – especially in communities and areas of the state that are losing population.

Marion School District has seen its enrollment drop over the last six years from 4,154 in 2013 to 3,831 in 2018.

Fenter said the last time the school district invested in its campuses was nearly a decade ago when they spent about $43 million on classrooms, facilities, and support services.

That money came from a combination of state matching funds, refinancing bonds, growth, and money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment stimulus bill during the Obama Administration.

Unfortunately, Fenter said that money is no longer available. The current state school funding formula is only investing in new facilities in areas of the state that are growing, which the Delta is not.

“That $43 million came from sources that don’t exist any more,” Fenter said.

“And in terms of new facility money, if you’re not growing, you’re not going to qualify. In our situation politically, there aren’t many folks in the state that are worrying about Marion. The folks that are in charge of the resources want to see it going to places where the population continues to grow at a rapid pace. That’s the political climate we live in. I don’t see it changing any time soon.”

Fenter said the only way to make things happen, is for the community to invest in its own future.

“The best way to end up with an empty sack, is to depend on somebody else to fill it up for you,” Fenter said. “The way that money is being distributed, there aren’t any circles close to Marion, Arkansas.”

Fenter said school choice has made it an extremely competitive environment for school districts because students can pick and choose where they want to attend.

School districts with the best facilities, extracurric- MARION SCHOOL Continued from Page 1

ular programs, and academics are the ones that are

growing.

“We have a large number of students who move back and forth between three or four or five school districts in the region depending on their mood, the facilities, the services, the programs, and the things that cause them to feel good about where they are attending,” Fenter said.

Fenter said Marion School District has finally stopped the enrollment decline.

But now it is time to invest in upgrading the district’s facilities to make Marion schools even more attractive

to the rest of the

region.

The school district has already made a number of changes that are showing improvements already,” Fenter said.

The district created three magnet schools that are providing more options for students. They have seen amazing results in student athletics – the Lady Patriots basketball team was the 2016-2017 conference and 2017 state champs. The Patriots boys basketball is currently ranked No. 1 in the state. Girl’s softball were conference champs in 2018 and beat Jonesboro. And the new football coaching staff has already amassed the most wins since 2011.

“If you think that extracurricular activities including athletics are not critical to growing your school and your community, you haven’t got any business walking the street,” Fenter said. “People move for extracurricular programs whether it is choir, band, football, basketball, track, soccer. It doesn’t matter.

And they want to see it supported with good coaches and great facilities. We have a great program in athletics and we are going to continue to invest money in it just like we do the other parts of our academic program. That’s how you create an attractive environment.”

Other highlights from the past year, Fenter said they have seen their AP honor roll increase; have added a cyber security lab that is teaching students an important career skill; introduced a robotics team; the math club won the state championship; have 40 students on the eSports team which is providing scholarships to students who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for team sports; have a new alternative learning environment model that is helping students get back into a normal classroom setting; the district has an armed school resource officer on every campus; outsourced student meals; started a school based health clinic that has already seen over 600 students; the Hub for students who can’t show up for school every day for whatever reason had 60 students who otherwise would not have graduated.

The district also added new exterior lighting along Patriot Drive.

Fenter said the $25 million raised from the millage increase will be used to pay for things like a $1.6 million, 2,048 square foot cafeteria expansion, more outdoor eating areas, shading, a green house, fitness parks, a new gym at Herbert Carter Magnet so the children don’t have to cross Military Road, $4.5 million for a community recreation and education complex that can be used by Marion Youth Sports Association and Boys and Girls Club, an improved athletic facility addition to the high school gym with new dressing rooms, resurfacing the track , an addition to the field house, a paved road loop for pick up of student athletes, and a $3 million astro turf all weather surface playing field at Colonial Park.

“If we had a magic wand, we could show you tomorrow where we could invest $25 million in some significant improvements in our school district,” Fenter said. “Not things that are just things that you dream of, but things that are on the campuses of other school districts that we are competing with and other communities that are growing their economy based on their school district being a magnet for people.”

The proposed increase would raise the milage rate from 40.7 to 45.7, but would still put Marion’s milage rate lower than other cities like Bentonville (48.5), North Little Rock (48.3), Little Rock (46.4), and Fayetteville (45.85) all areas that are growing.

Homeowners with an assessed value of $125,000 a year would pay an extra $125 a year or $10.42 a month. A home assessed for $175,000 would pay an additional $175 a year or $14.48 a month, while a home with an assessed value of $225,000 would pay an additional $225 a year or $18.75 a month.

“A hundred and twenty- five dollars is a lot of money,” Fenter said. “I get that. But if you can take $125 and protect your assets and help your community grow, and help your school district, do you not consider that a wise investment?”

Fenter said all of the investments they have outlined in their plan are needed if Marion is going to compete.

“Nobody wants to stand here and tell you we need to raise money through a tax,” Fenter said. “But at the end of the day, my responsibility whether I like it or not, is to tell you what I see. Your responsibility is to make a good decision with that information.”

Fenter said the school district is trying to get ahead of the curve and create opportunities that will put them in a position to start growing again. But in order for that to happen, Fenter said it will be up to the community to make it happen.

“It’s your choice,” Fenter said. “Marion has been losing enrollment for six years in a row. if you want to see what happens when a community school district gets to the point where the community isn’t supporting it and investing in it, take a trip to Mariana, Forrest City, Helena. We’re not on that (funding) map. And the folks in charge aren’t going to change any time soon. It’s your choice. This is about the community chosng to invest in its own.

At the end of the day, it’s a decision we all have to make.”

By Mark Randall