Mountain View Schools clarify stance on school detachment funding

The Mountain View School District issued a statement Monday morning clarifying its position on a controversial legislative amendment, asserting that legal compliance should not be confused with political support.

The district’s statement follows a Wednesday vote by a special language committee to amend House Bill 1007, a state education funding bill. The amendment was designed to resolve a financial dispute stemming from Act 919, the state law that allowed the Timbo and Rural Special school districts to detach from Mountain View and become independent.

“Recent media coverage has suggested that the Mountain View School District now supports the amendment to Act 919. That is not an accurate representation of our position,” the district said. “Our concerns regarding this amendment have not changed.”

The conflict began last spring when Timbo and Rural Special families fought to separate from Mountain View to avoid potential school closures. While state Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, maintains that the district will remain stable due to property tax collections and declining enrollment funding, district parents and staff have expressed fear over frozen teacher salaries and the future of extracurricular activities.

District officials acknowledged they are moving forward with the detachment in “good faith,” but emphasized that their cooperation is based strictly on promises made in Little Rock.

According to the statement, the district is relying on “repeated assurances” from legislators and the Arkansas Department of Education that the state will fully reimburse Mountain View to make the campus “whole.”

“That commitment from state leaders is critical,” the district said, “and we fully expect it to be honored.”