Consolidation has never been a popular concept in Arkansas, despite the fact that it is mandated for school districts with student populations that fall below 350. There is typically at least one challenge presented to the Arkansas legislators each session since the time that this mandate became law.

This morning, a special item of business has been called to challenge certain aspects of the consolidation requirement in Arkansas. The bill, sponsored by Representative Ratliff, does not attempt to overturn the consolidation law in Arkansas. Instead the bill suggests a different method of calculating student enrollment. The method proposed by Representative Ratliff would include the students who are homeschooled in the district as part of the estimated 350 students. This doesn’t seem like it would affect that many districts in Arkansas, but certainly the districts that are running close to the 350 mark, may appreciate the additional padding. We have compiled a list of districts that might be affected by this legislation based on their enrollment. As you can see, only a handful of districts would be affected by this change.

We’ll keep you updated if any major changes to the consolidation laws occurred. Or, you could stream the House Education Committee meeting here.