LIONS ENDORSE CAPE GIRARDEAU SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS MEASURE

The Cape Girardeau Lions Club has endorsed two Cape Girardeau School District tax measures on the April 1 ballot.

The civic club endorsed two tax measures by a unanimous show of hands Wednesday.

The school district wants voters to approve a $14 million bond issue for construction of two new schools and remodeling of others, and a waiver of the Proposition C tax rollback.

The net effect would be a 69-cent property tax increase.

Dr. Dale Nitzschke, Southeast Missouri State University's president, told Lions Club members Wednesday that voters need to invest in the local school district.

Nitzschke said it is important to the community that the school district measures pass.

"We, obviously, at the university have a vested interest in this as well," he said.

The university can do a better if its students have had a good education at the elementary and high school levels, he said.

Nitzschke acknowledged that voters grow weary of tax increases.

But he said an investment in education leads to dividends in economic development and higher-paying jobs.

Nitzschke said the nation spends $27,000 a year to house a prisoner.

By comparison, it costs about $6,800 a year to educate a student at Southeast Missouri State University and $4,000 a year to educate a Cape Girardeau Central High School student, he said.

A high school graduate will earn $132,000 more than an 8th grade graduate in 10 years of working.

The holder of a bachelor's degree will earn $209,000 more than a high school graduate over a 10-year period, Nitzschke said.