The Fayetteville School Board in Arkansas approved up to $178.1 million in bonds on Oct. 23, ensuring several capital projects are funded to completion. The board vote also included the decision to put a six-year millage extension in front of voters in the March 3 election, which would expedite completion of the projects if approved.
Voters will decide whether to extend the 45-mill rate from its scheduled 2050 expiration through 2056. Officials confirmed the projects will be completed regardless of the vote’s outcome, but extending the current rate would accelerate project timelines by a few years.
The current rate consists of 20 mills approved by voters and 25 mills from a state mandate. The voter-approved mills are used to pay down debt from capital improvement projects.
This bond round focuses on three major capital projects: a brand new $99.6 million Woodland Junior High building, a $24 million conversion of John L Colbert Middle School into a junior high and a $21.1 million parking garage at Fayetteville High School.
According to officials, any money leftover from this round will go toward construction of the new Ramay Junior High building, pending city approval for rezoning. According to recent updates from the engineering firm behind that project, the projected cost is $103 million, and construction is slated to begin in summer 2026. If rezoning is approved, the project would be completed by August 2028.
For the new Woodland Junior High building, the plan calls for a three-story, 160,000-square-foot modern facility. The building sits on 27 acres northeast of Crossover Road and Joyce Boulevard. Construction began in summer 2025 and is expected to open for the 2027-2028 school year.
The John L Colbert Middle School conversion will raise the facility to junior high standards, including adding athletic facilities and parking lot repairs. Construction is underway with an expected completion in 2027-2028, at which point it will transition from a middle school to a junior high.
The new parking garage for Fayetteville High School has also begun construction and is slated for opening in 2027. The structure will offer 453 new parking spaces, including spaces for motorcycles, scooters and two electric vehicle charging stations.
Officials say the need for additional funding comes from an increase in construction costs over the last several years, since the plans were originally made.
All projects, including the upcoming Ramay Junior High building, represent the final piece of the district’s comprehensive restructuring plan to create a balanced “pure feeder pattern” system, according to officials.
Photo by stroi.mos.ru, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
