PINE BLUFF, Ark. — A millage increase for schools in Pine Bluff passed on Tuesday night.
According to election officials, the vote came as 1,740 that voted for the millage increase, while 1,060 voted against passing the millage.
The results come after the special election was held in Pine Bluff this week.
The millage increase was introduced to support a new high school building, which sparked impassioned debates by Pine Bluff residents on both sides of the topic.
Last week, the limited school board held a community meeting to clarify the proposed millage increase and what the product would look like.
"This plan not only has 116,000 square feet of academic space, but it has a CTE wing, safe rooms that are now required, a 900-seat auditorium," Pine Bluff Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree said. "There's so much to the building."
Teachers and parents at the meeting shared their opinion on how the city is overdue for a new school.
"We have so many different things that our kids cannot access because we don't have the resources available," Kendria Jones, a Pine Bluff Junior High School teacher, said during the meeting. "Now, we have the opportunity to give them these resources."
Some residents feel that the new school is necessary, but that the timing isn't beneficial for those in the community. They shared timing of the vote, while the district is still under state control, felt rushed amid fears of consolidation.
"We're not opposed to building a new school," said Charliene Wright, an Our Pine Bluff School District Committee member. "That's not what we're seeing. We're seeing it as untimely because we are under state control."
Barbaree said the state's partnership's funding for the new school expires in 2024, so a vote needed to happen soon to keep a scheduled timeline.