Hot Springs, Arkansas – After being on the verge of being forced to shut down, the Cutter-Morning Star School District is now a flourishing educational institution that recently celebrated its achievements over the past decade.
The residents of the Cutter Morning Star community are getting together to celebrate and reflect on the past ten years’ worth of experiences.
“The teachers would paint their classroom. we would paint on the weekends to make our facilities look nice, we would cut the grass, clean the toilet, we did whatever we had to do,” said Superintendent, Nancy Anderson.
The Cutter Morning Star was deemed to be in a state of fiscal distress in 2011, but the Superintendent reports that they are now doing exceptionally well.
“I’m very excited to be able to share that because we made it over that, we not only I think somebody said we not only survived but we are thriving and we are growing,” said Anderson.
They were successful in obtaining grants and applying for two millages, which enabled them to eliminate their debt and maintain a healthy financial position.
Their financial report indicates that they have seen a 321% increase in their operating funds, which means that more money is being invested in the students.
“We have had a lot to overcome the last 10 years, and I feel like we are right at the pinnacle of the mountain,” stated Anderson.
However, Anderson stated that a significant portion of this would not be possible without the participation of all of the people.
According to Jim Harbin, the President of the School Board, his family relocated to the area in 2015, and they chose the school district because of the friendly, small-town atmosphere it provides.
“It was kind of unsure what the future was and when we moved here we did some research and we knew this was the place we wanted to be,” said Harbin.
Cutter Morning Star has also seen an increase of 54% in the activity fund, and Anderson said that they have over 100 students attending schools of choice, which indicates that they are continuing to grow.
You can go to the Cutter Morning Star School District’s website if you are interested in acquiring additional information regarding the organization.