AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS PASS ROLLBACKS IN PROPERTY TAXES

JACKSON -- Proposition C rollback initiatives passed overwhelmingly in Jackson, Delta and Oak Ridge Tuesday, allowing those school districts to keep a larger share of an estimated $400 million in new state education funding.

"In essence, the voters in this district have again answered a call and stepped forward to help its schools," said Wayne Maupin, superintendent of the Jackson School District.

By a count of 1,824 to 116, voters in Jackson approved the 12-cent waiver of its Proposition C rollback, bringing the schools up to the minimum levy required by the state.

"In the last five years, the school district has had three ballot issues pass by large margins," Maupin said. "That is just an example of the overwhelming community support for the schools.

"This vote allows us to keep more than $120,000 in tax dollars right here at home for use in our school district," he said. Had it not passed, the district could have lost as much as $170,000 in state revenues.

Roger Tatum, superintendent of the Oak Ridge School District, was equally pleased. Its waiver of 13 cents to meet Proposition C guidelines passed by a vote of 363-20.

The increase in Oak Ridge will generate an additional $11,570 in new local money. The district stood to lose $103,000 in state revenue if the voters said no.

"A number of people worked very hard to make sure everyone understood the issue and voted accordingly," Tatum said late Tuesday. "We felt that if people were properly informed, obviously they would vote for it."

Delta School District voters approved a 31-cent waiver of the property tax rollback -- the highest in the county -- by a vote of 200 in favor to 19 against. The vote will generate an estimated $35,000 per year for the district.

A negative vote would have cost the district $130,000.

Delta Superintendent Larry Beshears could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Both Jackson and Oak Ridge addressed the somewhat arduous task of explaining the issue to the voters early on.

The Jackson School Board began gearing up for the rollback back in early August, when board members began planning their informational attack on parents within the district, explaining the simple complexities of Proposition C and the election.

The board faced the task of convincing the public that the rollback was inevitable, but that keeping the money local was the issue at hand.

"It was a difficult issue to understand," Maupin said. "We had to be able to show people the bottom line through several layers of legislation and state requirements."

Cities like Jackson, Oak Ridge and Delta were asking for a partial rollback.

Taxpayers were not voting on a tax increase. Levies in all districts throughout the state will be raised to $2.75 according to a new state law which will begin generating income for the districts starting with the 1994-95 school year.

"Keeping this money local obviously means a lot to the taxpayers," Maupin said. "Now, the district can move on."

Elsewhere in the region, the seven school districts in Scott County proposing partial or total waivers of their property tax rollbacks approved the measures. The results were as follows -- Scott City: 611 yes, 47 no; Chaffee: 588 yes, 26 no; Sikeston: 2,385 yes, 78 no; Scott County Central: 292 yes, 13 no; Kelso C-7: 326 yes, 24 no; and Oran: 433 yes, 21 no.

The Kelley School District in Benton faced two initiatives -- a waiver of the property tax rollback which was approved by a vote of 400 to 57, and a tax levy which was approved by a vote of 424 to 50.

In Bollinger County, the Woodland Schools approved the rollback by a vote of 433 to 14; Meadow Heights: 354 yes, 51 no; and Zalma, 188 yes, 2 no.

Voter turnout was below 35 percent in both Bollinger and Scott counties.