| Bald Knob, Arkansas | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas |
| County | White |
| Area | |
| - Total | 4.6 sq mi (11.8 km²) |
| - Land | 4.5 sq mi (11.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 223 ft (68 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 3,210 |
| - Density | 697.8/sq mi (272/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 72010 |
| Area code(s) | 501 |
| FIPS code | 05-03280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0076228 |
Bald Knob is a town in White County, Arkansas, United States. The town got its name from a "low ridge that served as a landmark for early travelers" [1]. The population was 3,210 at the 2000 census. Bald Knob, a leading strawberry producer in the state, is known for its yearly Strawberry Fest. Bob Carpenter was recently elected mayor. The new mayor granted an interview to the Searcy, AR newspaper, The Daily Citizen: “The first month is kind of orientation, getting a feel for how things are doing around here,” Carpenter said. “I haven’t had too many complaints. The biggest thing people are wanting around here is a sports complex. Hopefully that will be achieved” (Watkins). Indeed, voters did approve "a bond to allow the construction of a $1.5 million dollar sports complex for the community’s youth. City revenue has gone up, and the city recently widened and repaved streets around the school. The AARP started a plastic recycling project. The new revenue office is nearing completion. Many individuals and clubs have worked hard to make Bald Knob a more attractive place to live and offer residents more quality of life" (Hambrick "Rebirth"). Despite these pleasant cosmetic and infrastructural changes, the community was recently in serious danger of losing its school.
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School financial crisis
On August 22, 2007, state officials took control of the Bald Knob School District, due to its financial insolvency, and recommended that it be annexed to a neighboring district. The district was $2 million in debt. The school board was dismissed, and the school is now under state control. Former Superintendent James Staggs was chosen by ADE as interim superintendent. According to The Daily Citizen (Searcy), the community was given one month and two days (after the state took over) "to raise the $2 million" (Hambrick "Saving"). Community Response Undaunted by the challenge, children have donated piggy banks and local businesses owners have put up signs tracking the daily tally of the S.O.S. (Save Our School) Fund (Hambrick "Saving"). A former business manager for the Bald Knob School District wrote a call for help in The Daily Citizen (Searcy), noting that other White County communities were helping with the fundraising efforts as well: "A Searcy furniture dealer called to say he wants to donate a percentage of sales during September to the S.O.S. Fund (. . . tax deductible donations are being accepted by three banks in Bald Knob: Citizens State, P.O. Box 200, First Community at P.O. Box 1625, and Regions, P.O. Box 816, all three in Bald Knob, AR 72010.)" (Pipkin). These grassroots efforts did, in fact, keep the school from closing its doors. As of December 11, 2007, the community has responded by "raising $1.6 million in private donations and securing voter approval of a temporary sales tax increase to benefit the schools" (Harris). According to school board member Randy Lawson, "Y'all received a wake up call. Y'all heard it. Y'all responded in an extremely positive way," (qtd. in Harris). School Response In order to achieve fiscal solvency, the school district was forced to fire "a band director, an elementary teacher, a secondary math teacher, an academic coach, a counselor and three classified positions. Also, the district reduced its contribution to the employee insurance program, eliminated a sick leave bonus and restructured its debt" (Harris). Reflecting on the origin of the crisis, board member Ben Mays blamed the decision to "spend more than $2 million on a gymnasium" for the district's brush with financial ruin (Harris). Despite these losses, the school might eventually return to its former status. In the best-case scenario, "local control could be restored to the district by June 2009" (Harris).
Geography
Bald Knob is located at 35°18'42" North, 91°34'12" West (35.311535, -91.569951)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.6 square miles (11.8 km²), of which, 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 1.32% water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 3,210 people, 1,257 households, and 878 families residing in the city. The population density was 715.5 people per square mile (276.0/km²). There were 1,395 housing units at an average density of 311.0/sq mi (120.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.91% White, 6.07% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 3.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,257 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $26,970, and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $27,978 versus $19,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,218. About 10.4% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: Bald Knob (White County)
- Bald Knob, Arkansas is at coordinates Coordinates:
Tom Gould
Works Cited
"Bald Knob Community Profile." [2] Pipkin, Patsy. "Sleepless in Searcy." 1 Sept. 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [3] accessed 2 Sept. 2007. (This article was written by a former business manager for the Bald Knob School District.) Hambrick, Pat. "Rebirth of Bald Knob Threatened if School District is Lost." 1 Sept. 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [4] accessed 2 Sept. 2007. (This article notes the improvements in the community and the progress that would be halted if the community lost its schools.) Hambrick, Pat. "Saving a School." 1 Sept. 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [5] accessed 2 Sept. 2007. (This article details efforts to save the Bald Knob schools.) Harris, Peggy. "Bald Knob School District moving toward return to local control." 11 Dec. 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [6] accessed 11 Dec. 2007. (This article updates the outcome of the grassroots efforts mentioned in the Hambrick articles cited above.) Watkins, Warren "Mayors Bring Politics, Leadership to Ground Level." 27 Jan. 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). accessed 28 Jan. 2007. (This article cites Bald Knob Mayor Bob Carpenter.)
