Texarkana Arkansas School District seeks millage increase for facility upgrades

TEXARKANA, Ark. (KSLA) - The Texarkana Arkansas School District held the first of a series of town hall meetings Thursday night (Jan. 29) at the district administration building as school leaders work to educate the community on an upcoming millage increase election.

The district has not had a millage increase in more than 30 years, said Dr. Lloyd Jackson, superintendent of the Texarkana Arkansas School District.

“We still got aging buildings currently 20-year, 30-year-old,” Dr. Jackson said.

If voters approve the increase, it will add $70 for every $100,000 in property value and generate about $36 million for facilities, upgrades, and upkeep of the district, Dr. Jackson said.

Planned improvements

Each campus in the district will benefit from the millage increase, including building a 1,500-seat auditorium at the high school and a multipurpose indoor athletic facility, Dr. Jackson said.

“We are asking our community to support us... a small price to pay, but a huge impact for our community and our students,” Dr. Jackson said.

Dr. Jackson said the district is presenting possibilities to the community.

“We are bringing that ‘what if’ to our community saying, ‘What if we provide quality, state-of-the-art facilities for our students? What would it look like for them, and what the impact could be for them and their educational journey here within the Texarkana Arkansas School District?’” Dr. Jackson said.

Election Day is March 3, with early voting beginning Feb. 17. The dates and locations for the next town hall meetings can be found on the Texarkana Arkansas School District’s website.