The Gravette School District’s superintendent told the board on Dec. 15 that the Alice Walton Foundation is building a major health campus near I‑49 and has invited eight regional districts to participate in Bentonville’s Ignite program, including opportunities for half‑day career education placements for high school students.

The superintendent said the first two buildings are expected to be open in 2028 and that students who are currently in eighth grade would be eligible in their eleventh‑grade year to take part in paid, half‑day programs covering health care, global business, technology and engineering. "Costs will be covered, world class teachers, job opportunities to follow," the superintendent said.

Board members asked whether seats would be available to regional districts and how students would be selected and governed. The superintendent said seats will be available to regional districts but that the Ignite placements will require an application; the district will work in coming months to develop entry criteria, determine whether slots are competitive and consider how governance or a consortium might be structured. The superintendent said the board will discuss electives and ninth‑ and tenth‑grade offerings at a January work session to better prepare students for the program.

The superintendent described the initiative as an extension of prior regional career center efforts and said the district intends to keep participating students as Gravette students for activities such as band and sports while they attend half‑day placements at the campus.

Next steps: the board scheduled a work session in January to begin work on governance and application processes and to consider curricular/elective changes to help students qualify for Ignite placements.