Altheimer Unified School District

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Altheimer Unified School District No. 22, previously the Altheimer-Sherrill School District, was a school district headquartered in Altheimer, Arkansas. It served Altheimer, Sherrill, Wabbaseka, and other portions of Jefferson County, [1] including the unincorporated areas of Lake Dick, New Gascony, [2] Pastoria, Plum Bayou, [3] Sweden, [2] Tucker, [4] and Wright. [3] The district in the 1993–2006 period had 333 square miles (860 km2) of territory. [5]

Contents

In its final years the district operated two schools: Martin Elementary School and Altheimer-Sherrill High School. [6] In the pre-desegregation era white students attended Altheimer High School and black students attended Altheimer Training School. [7] In 2006 it merged into the Dollarway School District, which in turn merged into the Pine Bluff School District in 2021.

History

In the 1960s the Altheimer district began a "school of choice" program where parents could choose which schools their children could attend, in light of educational desegregation of races. [8]

The Altheimer-Sherrill district was created in 1979 when the Altheimer and Sherrill districts merged. [9]

Fred Martin, Jr., formerly the principal of the high school, became the superintendent of the Altheimer-Sherrill School District in 1982. [10] Martin left the district in 1988 and became the mayor of Altheimer. [11]

Altheimer-Sherrill School District annexed the former Wabbaseka-Tucker School District on August 16, 1993. [12] As the Altheimer Unified School District it began operations on September 1, 1993, making Wabbaseka, Tucker, and Plum Bayou a part of the district. [4] Both the Altheimer-Sherrill and Wabbaseka-Tucker districts had debts from overpayment and so the merged district took those debts. [13]

The district received a 12-acre (4.9 ha) school property in Wabbaseka when it annexed the Wabbaseka district; [12] the district ended all use of the property in 1996. [14] Altheimer Unified sold it to the City of Wabbaseka for $674,623 in the 2001 fiscal year. By June 2001 it was not yet used for a new purpose. [12]

The Altheimer Library of the Pine Bluff-Jefferson County Library System was built on land sold by Altheimer Unified to the county government for $3,784. [12]

For a two-year period until 2006 the district ran at a deficit due to enrollment declines. [15] Its final enrollment was about 400. The State of Arkansas required for the Altheimer district to merge with another district, but Altheimer could choose another district that agreed to merge with it. The only district that agreed to do so was the Dollarway School District. [16] The Altheimer Unified School District consolidated into the Dollarway district on July 10, 2006. [4] A majority of board members of each district ultimately agreed to the consolidation. [17]

Effective July 1, 2021, the Dollarway territory became part of the Pine Bluff School District. [18]

Jefferson County, Arkansas school district mergers
Pine Bluff Linwood Dollarway HardinAltheimer-Sherrill Wabbaseka Plum Bayou-Tucker
Pine Bluff Dollarway Wabbaseka-Tucker
Altheimer Unified
Dollarway
Pine Bluff

Academic performance

Before the closing of the district, the district was in academic distress according to State of Arkansas measurements. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, Arkansas</span> County in Arkansas, United States

Jefferson County, Arkansas is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas in the area known as the Arkansas Delta that extends west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson County consists of five cities, two towns, and 20 townships. It is bisected by the Arkansas River, which was critical to its development and long the chief transportation byway. In 2020, Jefferson County's population was estimated at 67,260. The county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff. The county is included in the Pine Bluff metropolitan statistical area. The county seat and the most populous city is Pine Bluff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altheimer, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Altheimer is a city in Plum Bayou Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is situated on the Union Pacific Railway, 11 miles (18 km) northeast of Pine Bluff. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 984, down from 1,192 at the 2000 census. As of 2018 the estimated population was 829 and was down to 696 in the 2020 Census, with zero change estimated in 2021 and 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherrill, Arkansas</span> Town in Arkansas, United States

Sherrill is a town in Plum Bayou Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 84 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wabbaseka, Arkansas</span> Town in Arkansas, United States

Wabbaseka is a town in Dunnington Township, Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 255 at the 2010 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Pine Bluff High School (PBHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. It, a part of the Pine Bluff School District, is the largest of two public high schools in the Pine Bluff city limits and three public high schools in Jefferson County. Established in 1868, the school's interscholastic sports programs are one of the nation's most successful with a football national championship and one of the state's highest number of state championships in football, baseball and track and field.

Pine Bluff School District No. 3 (PBSD) is a school district headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The district has 10 schools with over 3,800 students and 500 employees.

White Hall School District (WHSD) is a public school district in northwest Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. The district employs approximately 400 faculty members and staff to provide educational programs for students ranging from kindergarten through twelve grade. It currently serves more than 3,000 students. All schools in the White Hall School District are accredited by AdvancED.

Dollarway School District No. 2 (DSD) was a school district headquartered in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, United States. With over 1,600 students and employing more than 300 educators and staff, the district had three active school campuses at the end of its life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Dick, Arkansas</span> Unincorporated community in Arkansas, United States

Lake Dick is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Lake Dick is northeast of Pine Bluff and south of Altheimer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tucker, Arkansas</span> Census-designated place in Arkansas, United States

Tucker is an Unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Arkansas. It is located 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Little Rock. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 95.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow, Arkansas</span> Unincorporated community in Arkansas, United States

Moscow is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Moscow is located near the junction of U.S. Route 65 and Arkansas Highway 199, 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of Pine Bluff. Moscow has a post office with ZIP code 71659.

Wright is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Wright is located on Arkansas Highway 256, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west-northwest of Sherrill. Wright has a post office with ZIP code 72182.

New Gascony, also known as Barraque Landing, is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is located 13 miles (21 km) west of Pine Bluff, the county seat. Founded by Antoine Barraque, a 19th-century landowner, in 1832; it was named for the Gascony region of France.

Sweden is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. Sweden is located on Arkansas Highway 88, 16.1 miles (25.9 km) east of Pine Bluff. On January 22, 2012, an EF2 tornado struck Sweden, damaging grain bins and metal buildings; the tornado continued to a point northeast of Lodge Corner in Arkansas County.

Dollarway High School was a comprehensive public high school in northwest Pine Bluff, Arkansas that served grades 9 through 12. It was one of three public high schools in Pine Bluff and was a part of the Pine Bluff School District effective July 1, 2021. Prior to that point it was the only high school managed by the Dollarway School District. Within the state, the school is often referred to as Pine Bluff Dollarway. It closed as of fall 2023.

Altheimer-Sherrill High School was a junior and senior high school in Altheimer, Arkansas, United States, operated by the Altheimer-Sherrill School District, and later the Altheimer Unified School District. At the time of its closing it served Altheimer, Sherrill, Wabbaseka, and other portions of Jefferson County, including the unincorporated areas of Tucker, Plum Bayou, Pastoria, and Wright.

Wabbaseka-Tucker School District, previously the Wabbaseka School District No. 7, was a school district in Jefferson County, Arkansas, serving Wabbaseka, Tucker, and Plum Bayou.

Noble Lake is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States.

Pastoria, also known as Pastoria Township, in an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas. It lost population to Sherrill, Arkansas after a rail line bypassed it in the 19th century.

Hardin is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is located on U.S. Highway 270, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) west-northwest of White Hall.

References

  1. ↑ "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Jefferson County, AR." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Note that, while the Altheimer Unified School District's boundaries are indicated, the district had already consolidated into Dollarway School District at the time the map was made.
  2. 1 2 "General Highway Map Jefferson County, Arkansas" (PDF). Arkansas Department of Transportation . Retrieved 2021-03-05. - See Lake Dick, New Gascony, and Sweden on the map.
  3. 1 2 "School closures hit a community". The Pine Bluff Commercial. 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2017-08-04. The former Altheimer district included students from Altheimer, Wabbaseka, Sherrill, Tucker, Pastoria, Wright and the Plum Bayou communities. - Alternate location Archived 2016-12-27 at the Wayback Machine at the Arkansas Department of Education (PDF page 3/13)
  4. 1 2 3 "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls Archived 2015-09-12 at the Wayback Machine ." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Note that Plum Bayou consolidated into the Wabbaseka Tucker school district in 1983, then the Altheimer-Sherrill and Wabbaseka Tucker school districts consolidated into Altheimer Unified in 1993, which in turn consolidated into Dollarway in 2006. Therefore this district formerly served Tucker and Plum Bayou.
  5. ↑ "AGENDA" (PDF). Arkansas State Board of Education. 2006-07-10. p. 149/269. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  6. ↑ "2002-2003 Arkansas Education Directory." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on July 31, 2017. Page 65 (PDF p. 71/157). "K-06 MARTIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL [...] 102 ORCHARD ST. ALTHEIMER, AR 72004-0640" and "07-12 ALTHEIMER-SHERRILL HIGH SCHOOL [...] 102 ORCHARD ST. ALTHEIMER, AR 72004-0640"
  7. ↑ Brown, Jeannette E. (21 August 2009). Gloria L. Anderson, Transcript of Interview Conducted by Jeannette E. Brown at Morris Brown College Atlanta, Georgia on 21 August 2009 (PDF). Philadelphia, PA: Chemical Heritage Foundation. Her high school was called Altheimer Training School; the one for white students was called Altheimer High School.
  8. ↑ "Other Days". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  9. ↑ Goatcher, Truett (January 1999). "School District Consolidation Will Save Millions of Dollars: Fact of Myth?" (PDF). Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators. p. 14 (PDF p. 17/27).
  10. ↑ "From "Separate but Equal" to "All Deliberate Speed". In: Smith, C. Calvin (editor) and Linda Walls Joshua (contributing editor). Educating the Masses: The Unfolding History of Black School Administrators in Arkansas, 1900-2000. The University of Arkansas Press (Fayetteville), 2003. ISBN   1557288062, 9781557288066. Start: p. 81. CITED: p. 93. (Page presented upside-down).
  11. ↑ "From "Separate but Equal" to "All Deliberate Speed". In: Smith, C. Calvin (editor) and Linda Walls Joshua (contributing editor). Educating the Masses: The Unfolding History of Black School Administrators in Arkansas, 1900-2000. The University of Arkansas Press (Fayetteville), 2003. ISBN   1557288062, 9781557288066. Start: p. 81. CITED: p. 94. (Page presented upside-down).
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Altheimer Unified School District No. 22 Jefferson County, Arkansas General Purpose Financial Statements and Other Reports June 30, 2001." Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, Arkansas Legislature. Retrieved on August 2, 2017. page 3 (PDF p. 5/22).
  13. ↑ "Altheimer Unified School District No. 22 Jefferson County, Arkansas General Purpose Financial Statements and Other Reports June 30, 2001." Legislative Joint Auditing Committee, Arkansas Legislature. Retrieved on February 27, 2021. page 16 (PDF p. 18/22).
  14. ↑ "EPA Removes Chemicals from Former Wabbaseka School ." Environmental Protection Agency. May 25, 2011. Retrieved on August 2, 2017.
  15. ↑ "AGENDA" (PDF). Arkansas State Board of Education. 2006-07-10. p. 4 (14/269). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  16. ↑ "School Case Studies Wonder Elementary School Osceola Middle School Dollarway High School". State of Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research. November 2011. p. 29 (PDF p. 31/50). Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  17. ↑ "AGENDA" (PDF). Arkansas State Board of Education. 2006-07-10. pp. 1–2/269. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  18. ↑ Howell, Cynthia (2020-12-11). "State votes to combine Dollarway, Pine Bluff schools". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  19. ↑ "School Case Studies Wonder Elementary School Osceola Middle School Dollarway High School". State of Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research. November 2011. Retrieved 2021-02-26. - CITED: p. 30 (PDF p. 32/50).

Further reading

Maps of the former district
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