CAREER CENTER STILL HAS NO STATE MONEY

The waiting will continue for the state's full share of promised funding for the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center.

Gov. Bob Holden's top budget official confirmed Friday that $1 million for the school and money for other building projects around the state won't be released before the spending authorization expires. The authorization expires today.

Dr. Dan Steska, superintendent of Cape Girardeau public schools, said word of the continuing delay, while disappointing, at this point isn't surprising.

"We've just kept getting mixed messages," Steska said. "We've been pulled back and forth so many times with glimmers of hope followed by clouds of disappointment, so I'm not too moved either way. We're just going to continue forward with what we have."

During the 2000 legislative session, the district asked the state to contribute more than $1.8 million toward the $11.3 million career center, which was completed last spring and is to open this fall. The district was forced to cover the state's portion from reserve funds.

Lawmakers included $1 million for the center in a $161 million capital improvements appropriation measure. Then-Gov. Mel Carnahan signed it into law but immediately ordered the money withheld because of lawsuits pending at the time. Following resolution of the lawsuits, the funding has remained in state coffers for a variety of reasons.

Some possible in July

However, in the 2001 session, lawmakers put the remaining $832,000 sought by the district in the budget for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Steska said DESE officials told him the district should get that payment in mid-July.

But state Budget Director Brian Long said Friday that none of the money in the previous capital improvements bill would be released because of tight state finances.

The initial $1 million for the career center was included in a reappropriations measure covering the next two fiscal years. Holden has until July 14 to sign the bill.

Because it is a budget bill, the governor can use a line-item veto to remove individual projects. Should the career center survive the veto stamp as expected, the money won't flow immediately. The funding could be released at any time before June 30, 2003, or not at all.

Repeated pleas

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girar-deau, said he has repeatedly made the case to the governor for the district to get the $1 million as soon as possible to avoid continued budget stress.

Steska said tapping into district reserves costs the district money it would otherwise earn on interest every day the state funding is delayed.

Another $17.25 million for various Southeast Missouri projects is also set to expire today. Those projects include $11.95 million for Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus, $150,000 for the university's Kennett Learning Center, $750,000 for a vocational school in Poplar Bluff and $4.4 million for four area port authorities.

All of those projects except the ports are included in the reappropriations bill.