This post has been updated to correct the year the new school is expected to be completed.
By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
Arkadelphia will have a new high school come 2028 thanks to voter support of a millage increase that is set to make funding possible.
Results from the special election were as follows:
For: 1,126
Against: 393
Now it’s time to get to work. This is going to be a big step in improving things and making a brighter future for our community.”
— Nikki Thomas, Arkadelphia Public Schools Superintendent
The special election drew 16.4% of the 9,221 registered voters living in the district.
The 32-year note will be paid for by a 3-mill property tax intended for “constructing and equipping a new high school and constructing and equipping other school facilities.”
Construction on the new AHS is targeted to start in summer 2026, with an estimated completion date ahead of the start of the fall 2028 semester. Until the new campus is complete, AHS students will attend classes at the current facility, which will be razed upon completion of the new school.
In addition to classrooms, the new AHS facility will include a safe room, a fine arts auditorium, a career education center and an arena gymnasium.
“Now it’s time to get to work,” Arkadelphia Superintendent Nikki Thomas said in the moments after the election results were announced. “This is going to be a big step in improving things and making a brighter future for our community. I’m thankful for the community for turning out and voting and supporting our schools, and I’m thankful for all the supporters who helped make this happen.”
The millage is projected to raise some $37 million in the form of property and real estate taxes over the course of three decades. The millage will cover about 60% of the building’s cost, with state partnership funding covering 30% and the district’s building fund pitching in another 10% toward the new AHS.
Approval of the measure brings the millage for the Arkadelphia Public School District to a total of 47.65 mills.
According to an AI overview of school millage rates in Arkansas, the increased millage now puts Arkadelphia in the top 10 highest in the state.