BUILDING NEEDS SPUR SCHOOL BOND ISSUE; VOTERS TO DECIDE IN APRIL ON $22 MILLION-PLUS PLAN

Two of 10 Cape Girardeau public school buildings were built before World War I. Two more were built before World War II.

The newest building, the Area Vocational-Technical School, was built in 1967, years before most students attending the school were born.

Teachers at some schools cannot plug in computers; they don't have enough outlets in their classrooms and the buildings don't have adequate electrical systems.

A week ago, students at Alma Schrader were served bag lunches because the school had no hot water. A sewer line had broken.

"Alma Schrader is supposed to be our flagship building, and it is crumbling," said Superintendent Neyland Clark.

At the district's central office, some days personnel must choose between heat and lights.

"We can't have both because we will blow a fuse," Clark said. "That's a real problem when we have computers working out here and they go down."

Basic building needs like these, Clark said, have prompted district officials to seek a two-part tax increase, planned for the April ballot. One part would fund construction of two new buildings and renovations to other buildings. The second part would increase the amount of money available to maintain school buildings in the future.

The deadline to put the issues on the April ballot is Feb. 9.

A final cost figure for the project has not been settled, Clark said.

"I want to make sure I have a comprehensive calculation of all the costs and needs in the district," Clark said. "What we are doing now is getting the numbers all together in relationship to the needs."

Specifically, the project lacks price tags for seismic retrofitting of buildings and site preparation.

"We are working with the architect in St. Louis on earthquake retrofit of the buildings," he said. "And we are trying to do some borings and site preparation work."

A new middle school and an elementary school are to be located on 54 acres of district-owned property on the northern corners of Sprigg and Bertling streets. The middle school is to be built on the western side of Sprigg, the elementary school on the eastern side.

Wet weather has held up the site tests. "The ground has to freeze real good or dry out before it can be done," Clark said.

He said if a large amount of rock exists on the site that would mean additional expenses not figured into the construction price.

"When we have all that complete, then we will have the final cost figures."

The bond issue will fall somewhere between the $22.2 million figure announced in November as the cost of construction and renovations and the district's bonding limit of $25.7 million.

The district's unadjusted levy currently is $3.23. The rate is rolled back 36 cents due to Proposition C, making the actual tax collected by the schools $2.87 per $100 assessed valuation.

In November, architects unveiled plans for the new buildings. The middle school is designed for a population of 1,200 students, with 400 students in 16 classrooms in each grade.

As designed, the middle school includes 163,000 square feet of instructional space. Each of the 48 classrooms is supposed to serve 25 students.

The design of the 60,000-square-foot elementary school follows the "classroom cluster" concept, which groups three rooms of the same grade, promoting easier team teaching. All the clusters have direct access to the outside and ring the instructional materials center.

The project also includes 12 additional classrooms and an early childhood center at Jefferson School, enabling the school's enrollment to increase to 500.

And $1.5 million is earmarked to install air conditioning, improve the electrical capacity and make cosmetic improvements at Central High School.

The cost of air conditioning, improving the electrical capacity and installing an elevator at the Central Junior High School was put at $1 million.

Clark said the new schools will enable the district to reduce enrollments at other schools and to stop using rented mobile classrooms.

If the schools are built, the board will close the aged May Greene, Washington and Louis J. Schultz schools. New elementary school boundaries will also be drawn.

The board of education will ask voters to approve the sale of bonds to finance construction.

Voters will also be asked to increase the district's building fund.

The building fund provides money to maintain and repair school district buildings. For example, money from the building fund was used to repair the L.J. Schultz roof when it collapsed over the summer and to repair the broken sewer line at Alma Schrader recently.

The state average for building funds is 30 cents. Cape Girardeau's building fund currently is set at 8 cents and generates about $200,000 a year.

Clark said the district's 589,000 square feet of instructional space is insured for $44 million. That figure is based on a 1984 appraisal.

"This community has a $44 million investment in facilities, and we are maintaining that $44 million investment on $200,000 a year," Clark said. "That's the equivalent of a business building worth $100,000 being maintained on a $450 a year expenditure, or a $50,000 home being maintained on $225 a year."

The ballot issues being discussed do not include money to hire additional staff members or to increase salaries.

Clark said no additional money has been included in the measure for operating costs.

"Last year we were cutting budgets. Now we are operating in the black," he explained. "There will be some additional costs, but it will be a pretty even trade. We will close three buildings and open two."

While school officials await cost figures, Clark said, the district is also looking for a campaign director for the ballot measure.

"We are looking for someone to help drive this," Clark said. "This would be a non-paid volunteer who has a high degree of time to devote. We are looking at parents and volunteers who have helped the district in the past."

Clark said he has also presented some initial information to Cape Girardeau's Chamber of Commerce. "The chamber has requested more information with regards to the cost," he said. "But I think they understand the needs and understand it's time to invest in this school system."