Fayetteville School Voters Say No To Tax Increase
Millage question fails 1,633-2,515
Last updated Tuesday, May 10, 2005 10:35 PM CDT in Front
By Rose Ann Pearce
The Morning News
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FAYETTEVILLE -- Fayetteville School District voters turned thumbs down on a tax increase to pay higher salaries to teachers and upgrade computers Tuesday in what officials call one of the largest turnouts in recent years in a school election.
The unofficial returns show 61 percent of voters casting ballots Tuesday against the 4.8-mill tax increase. About 11 percent of the district's 37,806 registered voters cast ballots.
The final tally was 1,633 for the increase; 2,515 against.
"The people want us to live on our budget and we'll do that," said Superintendent Bobby New, after the results were announced at the Washington County Courthouse.
"We'll get up in the morning and go to work," New said, promising Fayetteville will continue to be "a great school district."
The result means the district's tax rate will remain at 44.2 mills.
New said it was too soon to know the extent of raises, if any, teachers will receive for the 2005-06 school year but noted salaries will remain competitive.
School officials maintained the 4.8-mill increase was necessary to keep Fayetteville salaries competitive with the other three large school districts in Northwest Arkansas.
The district proposed raising the base salary for a new teacher with a bachelor's degree and no experience to $38,000 from $34,420, an increase of $3,580, or 10.4 percent. Comparable raises planned across-the-board to all teachers.
Springdale and Rogers already outpace Fayetteville in salaries. Those districts have not announced teacher raises for the next school year.
Bentonville is expected to approve a $4,500 across-the-board pay increase for teachers, pushing the starting salary to $39,133 for next year.
"The teachers deserve this," said Steve Percival, school board president.
"We'll evaluate our options," New said. "We're going to remain competitive. Our teachers deserve it. Our staff deserves it."
The district millage has remained essentially unchanged since 1994 when voters approved a 4-mill increase to 44 mills. In 2003, voters approved a 1-mill increase to 45 mills but that was rolled back Jan. 1, 2005, when the district's assessed value triggered Amendment 59 to the Arkansas Constitution. That amendment prohibits more than a 10 percent increase in revenue each year or a millage rollback is necessary.
Ironically, a portion of that 1994 millage was earmarked to raise teacher salaries.
Tuesday's defeat is not the first time a millage question failed.
Voters in 1990 turned down a tax increase of 6 mills for teacher salaries. According to news accounts, the issue was contentiously debated by supporters, led by then-school board member Jack Butt, a Fayetteville attorney, and opponents behind the late Fred Hanna. The measure failed by 500 votes and prompted a work slowdown by teachers.
Seven Northwest Arkansas school districts have passed tax increases of 4.5 mills or higher since 2003.
The highest tax increase was in Siloam Springs when voters approved an increase of 7.3 mills last year.
Voters in Bentonville approved a 4.7-mill increase while an increase of 6 mills was approved in Rogers. Gravette voters said yes to a 5.5-mill increase and Farmington, Greenland and Pea Ridge voters have approved 5-mill increases.
State law allows school districts to ask only one millage question in a calendar year. As a result, Fayetteville cannot ask voters for another millage increase before January 2006.
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