ALTENBURG SCHOOL REQUEST UNUSUAL

ALTENBURG -- The Altenburg School District is making an unusual request: It is seeking permission to lower its tax rate so it would qualify for more state funding.

Voters in the Altenburg School District will decide Tuesday if the local school board can set its own tax levy rate instead of accepting rates mandated by the state. If the board lowers its levy, the district could qualify for additional state funding.

Voters also will choose two school board candidates Tuesday. Incumbents Charles Gerler and Colleen Steffens have filed. Polling places are open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Under the board's proposal, the district -- not the state -- would decide how much money it receives from the Proposition C rollback, said Superintendent Rick Hoffman. Currently, the state decides how much Proposition C money the district gets.

The board plans to put the additional Proposition C money into a savings account. It plans to use the savings to add classrooms to accommodate increased enrollment, finish maintenance projects or plan for building expansion, Hoffman said.

In the past, the district has not requested tax increases for building projects but has set aside money for that purpose, said Hoffman, likening the practice to paying cash instead of getting credit.

Due to a quirk in Proposition C calculations, Altenburg is losing money even though property values in the district are rising. Hoffman said only a few school districts in the state fall into that category.

By changing the operating levy, the school district will end up with more state funds while maintaining the same amount of local tax collections.

The tax ceiling, the highest levy the district could impose, is currently $3.39 per $100 assessed valuation, but taxpayers have been paying closer to $3 for the past four years.

If voters approve the measure, the school board will have a 64-cent range to work with, Hoffman said. Each year the levy amount could change but the maximum amount would top at $3.39. Under current state law, it could not fall below $2.75. The board plans to levy $2.75 next year.

"The issue as I see it, and what we've been focusing on with civic organizations, is one of local control," said Hoffman. "From my perspective, all boards ought to have that authority."

ALTENBURG SCHOOL TAX

Each year the Altenburg Board of Education would re-evaluate the tax levy amount. The maximum levy amount was set at $3.60 in 1984.

Past tax levy amounts

1992 $3.09

1993 $3.15

1994 $3.05

1995 $2.87

1996 $2.75 estimated amount

1995 tax levy amounts at area schools:

Altenburg $2.87

Oak Ridge $3.35

Nell Holcomb $3.21

Jackson $3.01

Delta $3.56

Meadow Heights $3.25

Chaffee $3.60

Perryville $2.75

Cape Girardeau $2.87