NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The North Little Rock School District has been pushing for some big renovations on its campus, and it's all part of a capital improvement project that comes with a multimillion-dollar price tag.
"These are some unleft projects, that we certainly want to take care of, and it will complete our entire facilities, upgrade of this entire district with these three projects," said Dr. Gregory Pilewski, North Little Rock Superintendent.
Those three projects that Dr. Pilewski referred to are building a new middle school, an indoor sports complex, and renovating the Ole main building.
He explained how building the new middle school is a top priority.
"Infrastructure here has been failing over time. We've had anything from four or five water main breaks. Over the last few years, we've had an electrical fire. There are cracks in the foundation," he added.
Next, is renovating the historic Ole Main building with the goal of having classes there again. It used to be the high school until it closed in 2016 and students moved into the new building next door.
"Our third and final project is an indoor sports complex that we think our students will enjoy and our families will enjoy, and our community will enjoy as well," he described.
All of this comes at a high cost, but Dr. Pilewski said that's where the millage comes in.
On November 5, voters will decide whether to raise the millage rate by 4 mills.
The current total mills sit at 48.3 but with the proposed increase it would be 52.3.
"To simplify that, if you had a $100,000 home here in North Little Rock at valued, its assessed value at about 20% that would only be just around 80 some dollars a year that your taxes would go up," he explained.
North Little Rock parent Richard Tatum II said that's a lot to consider for his single-income family.
"To pay more in taxes is not exactly something we're looking forward to," Tatum II said.
However, he also said he thinks some of the renovations are necessary, so he's currently on the fence about how he will vote in November.
"I'm leaning more towards no, but I could be convinced of a yes if I felt like, hey, the plan was good enough," he added.
"When you're part of a public school and you're part of a community that support goes a long way because it is about education. It's about educating the youth," Dr. Pilewski said.
The district currently has $20 million allocated to the middle school building through state funding.