AREA'S GROWTH IS MIXED BLESSING FOR R-2 DISTRICT

While Jackson's growth has been consistently in the 15 to 20 percent range for a century, the city's growth has not been alone. The northern Cape Girardeau County area has grown in leaps and bounds, as well.

One area affected by this growth is the R-2 School District. In addition to the population growth in the area, the district also expanded in the 1950s, absorbing several small districts throughout the county.

Growth is a good thing, but is certainly not without its problems. The steady growth in the number of students attending Jackson schools keeps administrators hopping and keeps facilities bursting at the seams.

"It's a good problem to have," said Dr. Ron Anderson, completing his first full year as superintendent. "It's much better than being in a declining situation in the community."

Historically, the R-2 district has grown about three percent per year. This rate has been maintained throughout the 1990s and Anderson looks for it to continue.

"The best prediction is the past," he said. "We've grown about three percent a year the past 10 years, which is about 150 new students per year."

While this is positive, it certainly leads to complications. Bond and levy issues are on the Aug. 8 ballot, to enlarge the overcrowded R.O. Hawkins Junior High and for operating funds.

Anderson said that the district receives about $2,000 per student, from the state. The total cost to educate each student, though, works out to some $4,400. Anderson also noted that a $100,000 home brings only $522 to the school district (in taxes) -- and most of the new families flocking to Jackson have children.

"When you have a strong economy, it helps property values and stimulates new business," Anderson said. "It also increases demand for government services. Education is one of the bigger demands. With more students, we have more needs -- more class rooms, more teachers, more custodians, etc."

The levy would provide more space at the junior high and more money for operating expenditures -- including teacher and staff salaries, library materials and meeting accreditation standards.

"The economy is still strong and we have a lot of area out there for growth," said Anderson, who noted that the district covers a 285-square-mile area.

Of course funding is always a year-to-year proposition. Nothing is carved in stone and budgets have to be prepared on best estimates.

"There are a lot of pieces to it," Anderson said. "There are so many variables we don't control, like how many students show up, requirements for accreditation and state financial estimates, which are not guaranteed.

"I think we do a good job at that. We don't get everything we expect. That's not the way the system works."

At the annual official count, in September 1999, the district had about 4,480 students. Anderson anticipates about 4,600 this school year. The district has more than 300 teachers and 200 to 260 other employees. Anderson estimates that 75 to 80 percent of the budget goes to salaries and benefits.

"That's a lot of manpower," he said, referring to the nearly 600 total employees.

Actually, qualified staff and faculty members are getting harder to find, according to Anderson.

"We're kind of facing a shortage of employees across the country," he said. "It's more difficult to fill positions than it used to be. We're having to start interviewing earlier. We're more sensitive to the issue. Our goal is always to find the best individual we can."

Anderson is cautiously optimistic about this election.

"I'm feeling some good, positive discussion out there," he said. "I'm seeing yard signs, good articles in newspapers and good things on radio. We had 100 to 150 people at the open house at the Junior High. I'm optimistic at this time."

In grade school, Jackson classrooms average 23 to 24 pupils. Some kindergarten classes had 25 last year. Anderson called this "higher than desirable." In the middle school, classes average 25 to 30 students. More classroom space is needed before additional teachers can be hired to keep class size down.

Anderson wants the community to understand just what is on the ballot Aug. 8.

"It's important for the community to understand the importance of the levy side," he said. "It's to staff the positions necessary for additional size.

"More funding is required. We have one of the lowest per pupil expenditures in the state. The community is getting a lot for the expense. Naturally, we need to keep it that way."