The Arkansas State Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday (10/14/21) to approve the Guy-Perkins School District’s petition for a waiver to operate with a student population under 350 students. Guy-Perkins currently has 295 students enrolled in grade K-12. School districts in Arkansas with student enrollments less than 350 students may petition the State Board for a waiver under Ark. Code Ann. § 6-13-1613.
The State Board granted Guy-Perkins’ petition based on the fact that the district was not classified in Level 5 of Intensive Academic Support, Fiscal Distress, or Facilities Distress. Superintendent, Dr. Joe Fisher, issued the following statement following today’s decision:
“The State Board made it very clear with their decision that the Guy-Perkins School District is not in jeopardy of having to close, annex, or consolidate with any other school district in our area. Each year, we hear rumors and misinformation about how Guy-Perkins is going to be closed and that students will be required to go to neighboring districts. Our School Board, administration, and staff have worked very hard these past three years to ensure that the district’s finances, facilities, and academic offerings are in good shape and that the district will not be in danger of closing. Today’s waiver approval should put those rumors to bed.”
This is the third year in a row dating back to 2019 that the Guy-Perkins School District has been granted an enrollment waiver. There is no limit on the number of times a district may petition the State Board for such a waiver.