Dumas Public Schools is a school district headquartered in Dumas

Dumas, Arkansas

Dumas is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,706 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Dumas is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....

, Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

. It serves territory in Desha

Desha County, Arkansas

Desha County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,008. The county seat is Arkansas City. Desha County is Arkansas's 40th county, formed on December 12, 1838, and named for Captain Benjamin Desha who fought in the War of...

 and Lincoln

Lincoln County, Arkansas

Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas and is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population is 14,134. The county seat is Star City. Lincoln County is Arkansas's 65th county, formed on March 28, 1871, and named for Abraham Lincoln,...

 counties, including Dumas, Gould

Gould, Arkansas

Gould is a city in Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 1,305 at the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Pine Bluff, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, and Mitchellville

Mitchellville, Arkansas

Mitchellville is a city in Desha County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 360 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Mitchellville is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...

. It also serves Arkansas Department of Corrections prison property (Cummins Unit

Cummins Unit

The Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, south of Pine Bluff, and southeast of Little Rock.This prison farm is a correctional facility...

).

History

In 2004 the Arkansas Legislature approved a law that forced school districts with fewer than 350 students apiece to consolidate with other districts. As a result, on July 1, 2004, the Gould School District

Gould School District

The Gould School District was a school district that operated public schools in Gould, Arkansas. Its territory is now a part of the Dumas School District.-History:...

 was merged into the Dumas district. At the time of the merger, according to a June 30, 2004 audit report, the Gould district had a $322,873 deficit. The Dumas district inherited the Gould district's deficit. Thomas Cox, the superintendent of the Dumas district, opposed the merger; in May 2004 he told the Arkansas Board of Education that it would increase the racial imbalance in the school district as African-American percentage of the Dumas district would increase from 64% to 68%; at the time the Gould district was 99% African-American. The former superintendent of the Gould district became an assistant superintendent of the Dumas district.

Schools

Its schools include Central Elementary School, Dumas Junior High School, and Dumas High School.

In previous eras, Central had grades PreK-1, Reed Elementary School had grades 2-6, Dumas Jr. High had 7-8, and Dumas High had 9-12.

After the merger with the Gould School District

Gould School District

The Gould School District was a school district that operated public schools in Gould, Arkansas. Its territory is now a part of the Dumas School District.-History:...

, the Dumas district inherited the Gould school facilities. In the fall of 2005 the Dumas district planned to move all Gould students in grades 7-12 to the Dumas schools, and considered doing the same to the elementary school students from Gould.