As of July 1, 2000, the provisions of Act 1078 of 1999 became effective, and in most counties the County Board of Education offices were closed. The Act also transferred several responsibilities related to school district annexation, consolidation, combination, merger, and boundaries from the County Board of Education to the State Board of Education. Specifically, it mandated the Department keeps records of school district boundaries. Section 4. of this Act was codified into A.C.A. §6-11-127. It states:
"6-11-127. School district boundaries. [Effective July 1, 2000.]
The Director of the Department of Education shall keep records showing descriptions of each school district in the state, a map showing the school districts with their boundaries, the location of the schoolhouses, and the electoral zones, if any, into which each school district has been divided."
Prior to July 1, 2000, the Department contacted the County Board of Education offices in all counties and requested that the above information be sent to the Department. This did not prove to be an effective way of obtaining the needed information. We are now in the process of requesting assistance in retrieving this information from the County Clerks. We are grateful to the County Clerks for helping the Department in the past. The attached is a copy of the letter the County Clerks will receive.
The Department is requesting your assistance in this project also. We encourage you to contact your County Clerk and help in any way you can. The Department will provide assistance to the County Clerks as well. If you have any questions, please contact Annette Berry, Administrative Assistant, 501 682-5124.