CHANGES IN SCHOOL FUNDING DISCUSSED

Things are changing in education, including the way schools are being funded and the way school buildings are built.

Terry Stewart, assistant commissioner of education for Missouri, told people attending a forum Thursday that concerned Tuesday's ballot issue for Cape Girardeau public schools.

A group of about 55-60 people, mostly employees of the district and members of the board of education, attended the meeting held at the Central High School Auditorium.

Voters are being asked to approve a 51-cent tax increase (per $100 assessed property valuation). The money generated would fund construction of a new middle school for grades 6, 7 and 8 and an addition to Jefferson Elementary increasing the potential enrollment there from 250 to 500 students.

The project would cost almost $18.5 million and would be funded through a lease-purchase arrangement.

Stewart explained that in year's past, school district's passed a bond issue, sold bonds and then retired the debt.

But more recently school districts have been using lease-purchase agreements for construction of buildings. At this time, 151 districts in the state are using this method of financing construction.

"Senate Bill 380 took it one step farther," Stewart explained.

"The state is interested in a partnership with local school districts. If a community is willing to increase its effort -- for whatever reason -- the state will also increase its effort."

A 51-cent increase would generate an additional $1.3 million annually in Cape Girardeau. That money would be used to pay off costs of constructing the building.

That same 51 cents will also trigger an additional $900,000 in state money. Under the law, about half the money could be used for operation of the physical plant. The other half would go to instructional staff.

In April, voters turned down a 99-cent increase that would have funded construction of a middle school, an elementary school, an addition to Jefferson School and other improvements.

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education has brought back to voters about half that package.

At the meeting Thursday, a panel of classroom teachers and building principals extolled the virtues of a middle school for Cape Girardeau.

A middle school with grades six, seven and eight under one roof better meets the educational needs of children, they said.

When the addition to Jefferson is added to the picture, the project also frees up space at elementary schools, which educators say are crowded.

Superintendent Neyland Clark said in 1991, when he was selected to lead the district, Cape Girardeau schools were spending annually about $1.2 million more than they took in. He said the board had a choice of cutting the budget or spending money held in reserve down to zero.

"The board made the decision to cut the budget," he said.

"Now we are doing the same thing with our buildings," said Clark. "We have been riding the balances of our physical plant and we are about at zero.

"We have not constructed a new school building in almost 20 years."

Fred Withrow, an opponent of the issue in April and again this time, stood to say the school district should be taking better care of the buildings it has rather than building new structures.

Clark explained that the district is heavily dependent on local taxes for revenue. In 1993, 46 percent of the budget will come from local taxes. The state average in 1991 was 39 percent.

The district puts most of its money into classroom instruction -- 45 percent in 1993. The state average for 1991 was 38 percent.

The district spends 3 percent on district level administration; the state average is 5 percent.

Just one percent of the budget is spent on facility acquisition. The state average is 8 percent.

And the district's debt service is zero. The state average is 4 percent.

In response to a question about the district's lack of money in debt service, board member Pat Ruopp said that in 1989 the district paid off its debt. "We took less money from the voters."