Speaking of Schools: Enter Hughes AR
The community of Hughes has come together to pass a 12 mill property tax increase in order to save their local school. Hughes was placed on the state board of education’s list of fiscally distressed districts after loosing 10% of their students and going in the hole. This, compounded by the projected $3 million in infrastructure improvements needed, made the district’s viability look pretty dim.
New leadership, however, was found in one Charles Jones. After spending 30 years in education elsewhere, Mr. Jones returned to Hughes to retire. I don't know the story here but it sounds as though the community was sold on the hope that they can save their school by raising their property taxes and by scaling back their facilities.
The millage increase pushed the rate in the Hughes School District from 27.4 mills, which Jones said was one of the lowest in the state, to 39.4 mills. One mill of property tax adds $20 to a home appraised at $100,000.
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