Paron, Arkansas

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paron, Arkansas
Unincorporated community
Paron, Arkansas is located in Arkansas
Paron, Arkansas
Paron, Arkansas
Coordinates: 34°46′22″N 92°45′31″W / 34.77278°N 92.75861°W / 34.77278; -92.75861Coordinates: 34°46′22″N 92°45′31″W / 34.77278°N 92.75861°W / 34.77278; -92.75861
CountryUnited States
StateArkansas
CountySaline
Elevation
492 ft (150 m)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
72122
Area code(s)501
GNIS feature ID73008[1]

Paron is an unincorporated community in Saline County, Arkansas, United States. Paron is located along Arkansas Highway 9, 17.5 miles (28.2 km) northwest of Benton. Paron has a post office with ZIP code 72122.[2]

In 2006 Jennifer Barnett-Reed and Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times stated that the only community institutions Paron had were area churches and the schools; the latter were in operation at the time,[3] but have since closed, with students now assigned to schools in Bryant.

Demographics[]

As of 2006 some residents of Paron moved there from urban areas in Central Arkansas while others were born in families that owned land in the Paron area for generations. The population is 596. The average age is 54. 97.65 percent of the paron population was born in the United States.

Economy[]

Circa 2006 most residents work in Benton, Bryant, and Little Rock, while some have construction and farming jobs in paron. 57.49% of Paron works white collar jobs. 6.12% of Paron is self employed, 73.39% works for private companies, 11.62% are governmental workers.

Education[]

Paron, a part of the Bryant School District,[4][5] is served by Salem Elementary School, in Bryant, about 21 miles (34 km) from Paron,[6] and Bryant High School, in Bryant. As of 2006 Paron area students are eligible to attend public schools in other school districts.[3]

The community was initially in the Paron School District, which operated Paron Elementary School and Paron High School. On July 1, 2004 the Paron School District merged into the Bryant School District.[7] Paron High School initially remained open before closing in 2006 due to Paron being considered a rural area. Students that attended the school were transferred to Bryant High School.[8] In 2015, the Bryant district voted to close Paron Elementary School.[9] At the time it had about 75 students. Paron students were reassigned to Salem Elementary School.[6]

In 2006 Reed and Brantley stated that since most residents can be admitted to state-operated universities and colleges without needing to take remedial courses and perform at the state average on standardized tests, "[t]he prevailing attitude seems to be that Paron students are doing fine [academically]".[3]

The paron community, soon after the closing of the elementary, came together and applied for a charter school to be opened in place of the closed public school. It was rejected by the state board of education, mainly because of lack of expertise and support. But they were encouraged to polish up the application and apply again the next year. The community decided not to apply the immediate year after the rejection.

As of now, the community is once again in the process of getting a school back in Paron. The community will be sending in their letter of intent in January, 2022. This time things are looking like they have a good shot of getting a school back.

Climate[]

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Paron has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Paron, Arkansas
  2. ^ ZIP Code Lookup
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Reed, Jennifer Barnett; Max Brantley (2006-08-10). "Paron's long and winding road". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  4. ^ "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Saline County, AR." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 24, 2018. For Paron's location compare to the highway map.
  5. ^ "General Highway Map Saline County, Arkansas" (PDF). Arkansas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 2021-02-28. - See Paron on the map.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Bryant School Board votes to close Paron Elementary". The Saline Courier. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  7. ^ "ConsolidationAnnex_from_1983.xls." Arkansas Department of Education. Retrieved on May 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "School Consolidation". Arkansas Encyclopedia of History & Culture. Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. ^ Mershon, Matt (2015-04-21). "Bryant school board votes to cut $3 million, close Paron Elementary". KATV. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
  10. ^ Climate Summary for Paron, Arkansas
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