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Leaders Say New School District Will Boost Businesses in Jacksonville

3 min read

More than 94 percent of Jacksonville voters said “yes” Tuesday to separating from the Pulaski County Special School District and creating its own school district.

Before the votes were tallied, Daniel Gray, head of the Education Corps for the Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District, was adamant about the magnitude of the day for the Jacksonville community.

“This is an historic day,” Gray said. “Since the Little Rock Air Force Base came here more than 60 years ago, this is the next biggest thing.”

Gray said he thinks separating from the PCSSD will give Jacksonville residents hope for the future, and said he expects to see an infusion of growth.

“Starting today, people will have hope and know it’s going to get better,” he said. “This is going to instill pride in our town.”

While the main reason for the separation from PCSSD was to improve the Jacksonville schools, city leaders don’t think the improvement will stop on school grounds. Many expect the creation of the Jacksonville School District to carry momentum over into other areas, including business.

“In the 1970s, the primary questions from industries were about utility rates and things of that nature,” Mayor Gary Fletcher said. “Nowadays, the concern is about the education level of the workforce.”

Fletcher said the move will bring higher levels of education to Jacksonville, and should, in turn, attract businesses to the area. 

Gray called the creation of the school district a “game changer” in terms of economic impact and the quality of life of Jacksonville residents. 

“People decide where they’re going to live based on the schools,” he said.

Both Fletcher and Gray said they expect to see benefits realized in the housing market.

“People sit in my office and say they’ve heard not to live here because of the schools,” said Gray who is also general manager of Bart Gray Realty in Jacksonville. “The housing market here isn’t declining, but it’s not growing, compared to neighboring communities.”

The benefits aren’t expected to stop there, Gray said.

“I think you’ll see an all-around increase in business development,” he said. “We’ve seen some anticipation, and people are going to start making decisions now. In terms of retail and restaurants, it’s always a need with the Little Rock Air Force Base, and as more families locate here.”

Next Steps

The next step for the Jacksonville School District is appointing a school board. A seven-person committee — that includes Fletcher, three state senators, two state representatives and one justice of the peace — will sift through applications, which can be filled out here, and nominate seven people for approval by the Arkansas Department of Education. 

From there, the board will appoint a superintendent. The transition period, to be done alongside PCSSD, is expected to take about two years, Fletcher said. But the mayor adds that he hopes to expedite the process and be ready by the 2015-16 school year.

The Jacksonville School District will include 10 schools — two high schools, one middle school and seven elementary schools — and serve about 4,000 students in a 100 square-mile area.

Arkansas Business’ news partner, THV 11, spoke with several community members last night after the vote. See what they had to say here.

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