Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1223265
By Randy Rice Farmington School Superintendent Bryan Law has been part of the Farmington education community for 20 years. He started as a football coach and, for the past seven years, he has served as superintendent of the Farmington School District. Law has been shepherding the major projects resulting from the extraordinary growth of the district for much of the past decade. "e process started about 10 years ago, actually, with discussions of the need to build a new high school and all the things that came along with it," Law began. "e first thing we realized was that we needed to start looking at how we would fund everything because it was going to be a very expensive project. We began to save our excess revenue that was coming with our growth. Each year we tried to hold on to a few of those dollars and that allowed us to do something with them in the future. At the same time interest rates took a dramatic turn down so we restructured and refunded some of our bonds. We also received some money from the state. We were determined to find a way to generate revenue without having to go to the voters and ask for a tax hike." e first stage of the master plan was to build a gym and performing arts center. "We completed construction about five years ago," Law said. "About the time we completed those two facilities we started off on the building of the high school proper; the classrooms, offices and all the things we needed to do to have a school over there. We are now in our second year of having the high school open." With the high school open, they were now down to the third, and final, stage of the grand design: Sports Complex and Cardinal Stadium. "In May 2018 we went to the voters and asked for permission to extend some of our debt out, which was not a tax increase, it just allowed us to push our debt date out a little further," Law said. "And with that we were able to finish the football stadium." In the end, the Farmington school district was able to build about $45 million in facilities – the gym, the performance center, the high school and the sports complex – without having to go to the voters to ask for a tax increase. It was an extraordinary accomplishment. And one that Law is very proud of. "We have an amazing staff, we have great support from the community and we just happen to be in a region that has enjoyed tremendous growth so I think all of those factors came together to create the perfect storm, as it were." Law said he thinks the school district is in a sweet spot right now: big enough but not too big. And that, he believes, is very attractive to many folks looking for a place to call home. "We are in a very unique position here in Farmington," Law said. "We have grown to the point where we are big enough to offer almost anything a parent would want from a school district for their child's education. While at the same time we have held on to the personal one-on-one contact only a smaller community like Farmington can offer." 16 – 2020 West Washington County Directory 89 W. Main St. Suite #1 Farmington, AR 72730 urbanfringe.nwa11@gmail.com 479-267-9555 Find us on Wedington Animal Hospital 4363 W Wedington Dr. • Fayetteville www.WedingtonAnimalHospital.com 479-444-6600 Hours: 7:30am-10pm •Monday-Friday 9:00am-5pm • Saturday & Sunday Caring for All Animals Care For Your Friend Farmington schools: big dreams with a serious plan Cardinal Stadium