Arkansas legislators will study district consolidation questions

From the Arkansas News Bureau: A legislative panel in Arkansas will take up a thorny question during the interim between sessions: What should happen when a school district has declining enrollment but is so isolated that consolidation with another district is impractical? The House and Senate Education committees have approved a proposal for an interim study on school districts with “special geographic circumstances” that face forced consolidation or annexation because of low student enrollment. Under a 2003 state law, a school district that has fewer than 350 students for two consecutive years is subject to mandatory consolidation with another district.