On Tuesday, May 9th, just over ten percent (11,105) of the Little Rock School District’s registered voters cast ballots. Nearly two-thirds of those rejected the plan to refinance and extend the district’s debt in order to build a new Little Rock Southwest High School, repurpose McClellan, and make capital improvements to every campus in the district.

The vote wasn’t close, losing nearly two-to-one. FOR voters only carried nine precincts – five in West Little Rock, two in the Heights, and two on Woodlawn.

For perspective, on May 9, 2000 – exactly seventeen years ago, 12.96% of registered voters (16,486) cast ballots to increase the district’s millage from 41.4 mills to the current 46.4 for the next thirty years. The official results were 9,335 (56.6%) FOR, 7,151 (43.4%) AGAINST.

With all the passion surrounding this election, 5,381 fewer voters participated. That tells us something. But as we saw with the campaign, meaning resides in the eyes of the beholders.

Precinct	Address	FOR	Percentage	AGAINST	Percentage	Turnout
58	16025 Taylor Loop Rd	48	52.75	31	47.25	10.13
63	300 Parkway Pl	0	0.00	0	0.00	0.00
65	12415 Cantrell Rd	44	42.72	59	57.28	8.96
66	12900 Cantrell Rd	92	44.23	116	55.77	11.34
67	3700 N Rodney Parham	79	40.10	118	59.90	9.61
68	16025 Taylor Loop Rd	151	52.98	134	47.02	12.50
69	62 Pleasant Valley Dr	127	49.03	132	50.97	12.57
70	10900 Rodney Parham	117	49.58	119	50.42	19.03
71	12301 Hinson Rd	170	47.89	185	52.11	14.21
72	10900 Rodney Parham	20	24.39	62	75.61	5.92
73	300 Parkway Place	94	51.93	87	48.07	10.07
74	12301 Hinson Rd	46	37.70	76	62.30	7.99
75	701 Napa Valley Rd	42	35.59	76	64.41	5.80
76	300 Parkway Pl	35	27.78	91	72.22	7.00
77	701 Napa Valley Rd	8	57.14	6	42.86	4.68
78	10001 Kanis Rd	37	28.46	93	71.54	6.19
79	13000 W Baseline	12	24.49	37	75.51	5.53
80	13000 W Baseline	56	24.24	175	75.76	9.22
81	10300 Mabelvale West	28	31.82	60	68.18	4.36
82	7601 Baseline Rd	21	21.00	79	79.00	4.85
83	9621 Tall Timber Rd	43	17.13	208	82.87	10.91
84	9400 Col. Glenn Rd	26	9.89	237	90.11	11.48
85	10001 Kanis Rd	37	24.03	117	75.97	6.47
86	1701 S Harrison St	16	11.85	119	88.15	10.69
87	9820 W Markham	48	29.63	114	70.37	9.67
88	321 Pleasant Valley Dr	109	37.85	179	62.15	14.75
89	1818 Reservoir Rd	49	35.25	90	64.75	7.40
90	600 Pleasant Valley Dr	185	60.86	119	39.14	18.35
91	2710 McKinley	128	47.76	140	52.24	16.70
92	2223 Durwood Rd	88	39.64	134	60.36	15.19
93	1200 N Mississippi	82	38.14	133	61.86	12.71
94	1200 N Mississippi	97	49.24	100	50.76	13.58
95	9301 Rodney Parham	115	39.25	178	60.75	14.24
96	1000 N Mississippi	77	49.68	78	50.32	16.79
97	7525 W Markham	25	22.32	87	77.68	8.21
98	1709 Barrow Rd	16	14.29	96	85.71	6.58
99	6401 W 32nd	33	27.05	89	72.95	8.30
100	6401 W 32nd	4	7.69	48	92.31	5.62
101	9621 Tall Timber Blvd	14	15.38	77	84.62	7.95
102	5630 Mabelvale Pike	18	16.67	90	83.33	6.51
103	6219 Baseline Rd	34	26.56	94	73.44	7.10
104	10610 Chicot Rd	32	16.16	166	83.34	8.66
105	9300 Geyer Springs	28	22.76	95	77.24	7.95
106	5220 Kavanaugh Blvd	222	66.47	112	33.53	21.14
107	5220 Kavanaugh Blvd	297	72.63	112	27.38	31.22
108	5520 Woodlawn Dr	166	62.64	99	37.36	18.65
109	4401 Woodlawn Dr	257	45.57	307	54.43	20.00
110	5520 Woodlawn Dr	46	53.49	40	46.51	7.47
111	4823 Woodlawn Dr	86	33.99	167	66.01	9.06
112	4401 Woodlawn Dr	29	21.01	109	78.99	12.40
113	2715 W 7th St	41	15.71	220	84.29	15.31
114	501 E 9th St	46	29.11	112	70.89	8.10
115	1701 S Harrison St	15	8.43	163	91.57	9.30
116	1200 Lewis St	5	5.26	90	94.74	6.57
117	1513 Park St	12	9.52	114	90.48	5.43
118	1001 W 16th St	27	13.43	174	86.57	9.75
119	1720 W 23rd St	25	15.06	141	84.94	9.34
120	4800 W 26th St	6	6.74	83	93.26	4.41
121	5500 Geyer Springs Rd	12	11.32	94	88.68	5.38
122	2901 W Roosevelt Rd	13	15.85	69	84.15	5.60
123	7701 Scott Hamilton	8	25.81	23	74.19	1.82
124	7701 Scott Hamilton	21	23.86	67	76.14	4.19
125	3623 Baseline Rd	6	14.29	36	85.71	5.56
128	2701 S Main St	46	19.41	191	80.59	10.18
129	7500 Lindsey Rd	8	19.51	33	80.49	6.25
130	4801 Frazier Pike	6	40.00	9	60.00	7.85
134	2500 E 6th St	5	9.26	49	90.74	5.33
135	2801 Springer Blvd	2	10.53	17	89.47	12.75
TOTAL		3,938	35.46	7,167	64.54	10.04

Throughout the campaign, opponents of the millage extension countered that the district should use its “surplus” debt service mills for the proposed construction and capital improvements. The problem is, since 2000, when voters increased the millage from 41.4 mills to 46.4, with 12.4 mills dedicated to debt service, elected boards and administrations have used any “surplus” for operations. As a result, over two-thirds of debt service mills are not being used as voters intended – for debt service.

Superintendent Poore and Commissioner Key should honor the decisions of voters yesterday and seventeen years ago and cut the 2017-18 budget by nearly $30,000,000 in order to free 100% of those bonds to finance, perhaps via second lien bonds, the Little Rock Southwest High School, as well as much needed capital improvements throughout the district.

While it will be far more painful than what the Superintendent and Commissioner originally proposed, the voters have spoken.

Notes on Turnout

• Highest Turnout Percentage: 31.22% (Precinct 107, 5220 Kavanaugh Blvd)
• Lowest Turnout Percentage: 1.82% (Precinct 123, 7701 Scott Hamilton Dr)
• Highest Vote Total: 664 (Precinct 109, 4401 Woodlawn Dr)
• Lowest Vote Total: 14 (Precinct 77, 701 Napa Valley Rd)
• Highest FOR Total: 297 (Precinct 107, 5220 Kavanaugh Blvd)
• Highest FOR Percentage: 72.53% (Precinct 107, 5220 Kavanaugh Blvd)
• Lowest FOR Total: 2 (Precinct 135, 2801 Springer Blvd)
• Lowest FOR Percentage: 5.26% (Precinct 116, 1200 Lewis St)
• Highest AGAINST Total: 307 (Precinct 109, 4401 Woodlawn Dr)
• Highest AGAINST Percentage: 94.74% (Precinct 116, 1200 Lewis St)
• Lowest AGAINST Total: 6 (Precinct 77, 701 Napa Valley Rd)
• Lowest AGAINST Percentage: 27.38% (Precinct 106, 5220 Kavanaugh Blvd)

Notes on West Little Rock
*Hyperlink indicates precinct located in or proximate to West Little Rock.

• 1,367 (46.23%) FOR
• 1,590 (53.77%) AGAINST
• 34.71% of Total FOR Votes
• 22.19% of Total AGAINST Votes
• 16 of 67 Total Precincts (23.88%)
• 2,957 Total Votes (26.63% of Overall Total)