Both sides of the vote May 9 on extension of 12.4 mills of property tax in the Little Rock School District have put flyers in the mail this weekend.
The Committee to Rebuild Our Schools is better financed, thanks to business establishment support. Its flyer is covering broader territory than the flyer going out from Citizens Against Taxation Without Representation. No updated financial information is available yet, but the margin is certain to be great. In initial filings last month, the pro-tax group had more than $11,000 and the anti-tax group had about $800.
Both final flyers feature personalities. The pro-tax group flyer includes testimonials from Police Chief Kenton Buckner, state Rep. Clarke Tucker, former library director Bobby Roberts, Mayor Mark Stodola and former pro athlete Keith Jackson. It will be hitting Heights and West Little Rock neighborhoods particularly, traditionally friendly to school taxes.
The group opposing the tax has a flyer including photos of Sens. Joyce Elliott and Linda Chesterfield. They’ll be mailing about 1,000 pieces, targeting likely voters. I’d guess they’ll concentrate on low-income neighborhoods, where unhappiness is highest about the state takeover of the school district and removal of the majority black school board.
An image from the pro-tax flyer.
The anti-tax group has familiar faces, too.
PS: There’s an issue percolating as a result of a potential voter, whose children attend Little Rock schools, being told his address is in the Pulaski County school district. The particular voter question is under review, but a larger question is whether others in the St. Charles/Villages of Wellington area might have been misclassified or not notified of adjustments in district boundaries. The district dividing line, set before annexations led to city growth, aren’t readily apparent.