The “For Kids & Our Community” Committee is a group of residents, parents, alumni and friends of Harrison School District. Our goal is to educate our community on the benefits of remodeling and the building of new facilities to the current High School and Middle School structures including new classrooms, an auditorium, gymnasium, and community safe room; making it possible to move 7th and 8th gra
ders from the Jr. High School to their own wing at the Middle School, and 9th graders from the Jr. The Harrison School District Board of Education is requesting voters to approve a millage increase of 4.9 mills. The election will be held on Tuesday, September 16, with early voting from September 9th through 15th . The millage increase addresses the issue of the aging Jr. High School campus. The school board has determined that the current Jr. High School campus, which is over 65 years old, must be replaced. The Arkansas Division of Public Schools Facilities and Transportation agrees, finding that “buildings that have exceeded their expected life of 50 years typically have undersized classrooms that do not meet current standards. In addition, the systems within the building are outdated and can't provide required capacity. For example, the electrical systems in most 50-year old buildings can't satisfy the power requirements for all of the technology in a modern school. Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements are often not entirely met in older buildings for door hardware, restrooms, door widths, and site access.”
After careful inspection and estimations, the Harrison School Board and the Arkansas Division of Public Schools Facilities and Transportation (“Facilities Division”) have agreed that the cost to repair the aging and outdated building and building systems exceeds the cost to replace the structure. The Facilities Division inspected the Harrison Jr. High School buildings to be replaced on May 30, 2014, and reviewed the major building systems - site, HVAC, exterior, roof, interior, electrical, plumbing, fire and safety, and technology. Each system was reviewed to determine if it would be prudent to replace that system based on the system's condition and/or expected life. This inspection resulted in the division concurring with the district's decision that it would be prudent to replace the buildings instead of continue to repair them. If the millage passes home owners will see an increase of $8.17 per month for every $100,000 of real estate that is assessed. Any registered voter who lives in the Harrison School District, whether or not they own property, can vote in this election. The deadline to register to vote for this election is August 18, 2014.
