TASD breaks ground on new middle school

Kenny Haskins, city manager for Texarkana, Ark., speaks Friday during the groundbreaking for the new Arkansas Middle School. He said he was impressed by the district's commitment to the process of getting the middle school built. It is expected to open in January 2021.
Kenny Haskins, city manager for Texarkana, Ark., speaks Friday during the groundbreaking for the new Arkansas Middle School. He said he was impressed by the district's commitment to the process of getting the middle school built. It is expected to open in January 2021.

Texarkana, Arkansas, School District broke ground Friday on the new Arkansas Middle School.

It will be the first new school the district has built since Trice Elementary was completed in 1983.

The new school, located on Jefferson Avenue just north of Interstate 30, was funded through a $20 million bond restructure voters approved in October 2017 and $6 million in partnership funds from the state. The $25.7 million project is scheduled for completion in January 2021.

TASD Superintendent Dr. Becky Kesler said the entire project was a group effort, with the community, city leaders, the district's staff and board members all working together to make it happen.

"Without them, none of this would be possible," she said. "Our board had a vision of upgrading every facility across the district and building a new school not for just a few select groups of students, but for every student to have access to. This new, state of the art Arkansas Middle School and this beautiful location will be a place where all students come together as sixth-graders for the very first time. We had a dream of a new school and it took all of us to make it come true."

Kenny Haskins, city manager for Texarkana, Arkansas, said Kesler and the district's commitment to serve Arkansas families stood out to him during the planning process and that the city was proud to have worked with them to bring the project to fruition.

"We knew the impact that it would create in Texarkana. It's an amazing effort," she said. "She has a wonderful team. The thing that impressed me the most was their attention to detail. They were not focused primarily on the results. They were focused on the processthey knew at the end of the day, that if they took care of business on the front end throughout this process, that we would ultimately end up here today."

Brian McDonald, lead pastor of Faith Assembly, gave the blessing for the 31.7 acres and said that everyone wins when the community works to bring children to education.

"We collectively seek to lift our collective generations from the current level that we are and launch them into a very bright future," he said. "That's what's happening today. This is not just a school, it's our children's future and when we invest in that, there's nothing any greater that we can invest in than the hearts and minds of our children. Texarkana citizens, along with our leaders, are reaching for the very best in education for our children and today that moment is happening."

Texarkana, Arkansas, Mayor Allen Brown said that under Kesler's leadership and with the school board's vision, a new era is being created for Texarkana.

"This new middle school will serve every student in TASD and shows a commitment to providing world-class education for all of our students," he said. "The future is bright for Texarkana, Ark. School District and for the city of Texarkana, Ark. The educational opportunities provided to our students are second to none and I'm personally excited about the huge commitment and we pledge the support of the city that we can make anything possible."

Board President Glen Spears said the groundbreaking was a historic event because it was the first time in 36 years that the district had built a new school. He added that a new building was constructed on the campus of Arkansas High in 2006, but it was not a completely new school. He also said that he was proud of the fact that they were able to build it without additional taxes.

"This new school is an awesome accomplishment," he said. "This new middle school will have state-of-the-art technology, efficiency and have an emphasis on safety for our students. I am excited for our community and students to see this new school and I am sure they are going to be as proud of this school when it's completed as I am right now."

The school is being built by Clark Contractors, which will set up a webcam to progress on the project can be seen in real-time. The school is set to open in January 2021.

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