BALD KNOB, ARKANSAS

'Bald Knob' is a city in White County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,210 at the 2000 census. 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").
Bald Knob, a leading strawberry producer in the state, is known for its yearly Strawberry Fest.
But now the community is serious in danger of losing its school.

Contents

School controversy

Geography

Demographics

External links

Works Cited

School controversy

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 is $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 a recent article in The Daily Citizen (Searcy), "the community has until Sept. 24 to raise the $2 million. The State Board of Education will meet at 9 a.m. Sept. 24 to decide the fate of the district" (Hambrick "Saving").
'Community Response'
Undaunted by the challenge, children have donated piggy banks and local businesses ownders 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 (That’s “Save Our Schools” and 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). Reports of the progress of these efforts have varied wildly: some say that $1.2 million has been raised, while others believe that, "As of Wednesday night, Aug. 29, the tally reached $350,000" (Pipkin).

Geography

Bald Knob is located at 35°18'42" North, 91°34'12" West (35.311535, -91.569951).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.6 mi²). 11.6 km² (4.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.32% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,210 people, 1,257 households, and 878 families residing in the city. The population density was 276.0/km² (715.5/mi²). There were 1,395 housing units at an average density of 120.0/km² (311.0/mi²). 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)

Works Cited

Pipkin, Patsy. "Sleepless in Searcy." 1 Sept. 2007. The Daily Citizen (Searcy). Online Edition. [1] 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. [2] 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. [3] accessed 2 Sept. 2007. (This article details efforts to save the Bald Knob schools.)
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.)