[2] A proposed school consolidation came as a result of education reform measures spearheaded by the Arkansas Education Association (AEA),[3] which was prompted by a 1921 study done by the Arkansas Legislature that criticized conditions at various public schools.
Calvin R. Ledbetter Jr. of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock stated that the Great Depression caused a drop in government revenues and frustrated school consolidation.
[6] That year there was a petition for an Act 1 which would have forced school districts with under 350 students to form "county rural school districts", created as a result of a lack of teachers due to several being drafted into the military, moving out of state, or moving on to defense jobs during World War II.
[8] At the time people advocating for or against political causes bought space to print advertisements for them in newspapers.
[7] In 1948 over 60% of Arkansas voters passed Act 1,[8] which was to force any school district with under 300 students to consolidate.
Additionally Winthrop Rockefeller and Jim Johnson, two candidates for the 1966 election of the governor of Arkansas, also stated opposition.
[14] Since 2003, two major components in Arkansas public school districts must exist: The current consolidation policy that mandates operational changes for all districts with fewer than 350 students is the Public Education Reorganization Act—Act 60 of the Second Extraordinary Session of 2003.
[15] Geographical school districts in Arkansas are generally independent from city or county jurisdiction.