Brookland, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Tuesday evening, Brookland Public Schools (BPS) hosted a drop-in meeting to provide residents with information on why district leadership is asking for a millage increase and what it would be used for.
A rise in the property tax rate to generate more revenue, a “mill” is defined as $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value of a property. The 3.95-mill increase would be used to fund district facility improvements.
Those improvements would include a new junior high cafeteria and community safe room, a dedicated cheer and dance practice facility, a community storm shelter, and a new indoor training facility for athletics. Additional revenue would be used to directly support district operations and academic programs.
“Our first priority is a safe room,” BPS Superintendent George Kennedy said. “Our junior high does not have a safe room, so it will be a big deal. Right now, the best we can do is, [if] there’s a tornado during the school day, is just huddle together in the hallways like we used to.”
The proposed 12,000 square-foot safe room would be used by junior and senior high students. During non-school hours, the building would serve as a storm shelter for the whole community.
The facility would also have a dedicated indoor space for cheer and dance teams to train. Tabitha Valdez, parent to a 10th-grade cheerleader, said the designated practice area is much needed.
“The cheerleaders now don’t have a designated area; they practice in the cafeteria,” Valdez said. “They have to spend their practice time moving tables and rolling out mats. When it’s over, they have to roll them back up, and the mats are just left in the cafeteria. They have ketchup smeared on them. It’s quite messy because they’re in the cafeteria with all the kids.”
Valdez also says that having two separate cafeterias is a needed change because grades seven through 12 currently share. The district plans to open up more lunch periods with the new addition.
The revenue generated would also be spent on a training facility, located at the south end zone of the Bearcat football field. The new training facility will feature a weight room, locker rooms, a film room, and coaches’ offices.
Kennedy said the current training facility is too small to accommodate all athletes.
“We have, for instance, approximately 200 boys in football, and the weight room is 400 square feet. They rotate, and we have three boys to a locker,” Kennedy said. “So this will have a new weight room and a locker room for all of the kids, so they don’t have to share lockers.”
Brookland has a current millage of 38.53. If passed by residents, the proposed rate would be 42.48. This is 3.23 over the state average for school districts in Arkansas, which is 39.25. However, it is under the millage rate for local schools such as Valley View and Nettleton, which have rates of 42.50 and 43.38, respectively.
The school district is also nearing completion of a new intermediate school, scheduled to open in the 2026-27 school year. The intermediate school will be for third and fourth-grade students.
“We feel like we’ve got the right vision, and Brooklyn has grown so quickly it’s hard to keep up with the facilities,” Kennedy said.
Early voting will begin Feb. 17. Early voting hours are between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday. The deadline to apply to vote has passed.
Election deadlines and a list of voting locations can be found here. A check on voter status or polling place look-up can be done here.