MEADOW HEIGHTS SCHOOLS ON MEND

PATTON -- Deep cuts take time to heal. And it's taken about six months for the wounds to heal in the Meadow Heights school district.

Two Patton residents recently gave the board a standing ovation for its ability finally to "make some decisions the community and school district can live with," once said

Pam Grindstaff is a parent who regularly attends the meetings. She videotaped the three-hour special meeting Thursday night, when the board discussed a renovation project.

"For the first time in four years I feel like I've been to a board meeting where you've expressed your opinions. That's what a board meeting should be," Grindstaff said, adding that she's finally had some questions answered and felt the board had taken the first step toward healing.

After several months of turmoil, the school board is trying to rebuild its self-image within the community. Board members agree that the renovation project is the quickest way to show residents that it is recovering and that its intentions are pure.

Superintendent Cheri Fuemmeler said, "Whatever direction you decide to go, I would hope for unified support. The board, community, staff and school have been hurt."

For several months, the Meadow Heights district, in northern Bollinger County, has been the subject of an embittered battle between board members and former superintendent Tom Waller.

The clash culminated in Waller's resignation shortly after it was discovered that some attendance figures had been inflated. Attendance figures determine the amount of state funding a district receives. The board likely will be asked to pay back the money to the state department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Another issue that has been facing the board is a conflict of interest investigation. Board member Millie Yates filed a letter with Bollinger County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Hopkins in April. The letter questioned the legality of allowing Junior Cook to serve on the board at the same time he serves on the county commission.

No ruling has been received from the Attorney General's office. The Missouri Ethics Commission is still investigating the issue.

In April, three seats on the board will be open. Only one person, June Long, has filed for office.

Yates, who is temporarily living outside the district, hasn't decided yet if she will seek re-election. Two of her children attend school in Jackson.

Dennis Mouser and Sandy Raines have not filed for office either. Raines said she has had a "colorful" term in office and will likely not run again.

During Thursday's meeting, the board voted 7-0 to extend an existing 50-cent tax levy. The proposed $750,000 bond, if approved by voters in April, would help pay for renovations costs.

The board hopes to replace old light fixtures with more energy-efficient ones, replace some windows, repair heating and add air-conditioning units, replace the roof and add a covered corridor between building wings.

The renovations have been needed for years, said board president Roy Allen, but weren't finalized until the last few months. Strickland Engineering has completed preliminary designs for the project.

If approved in the upcoming election, the project could be completed by the end of summer.

Larry Hart with the L.J. Hart Co. in St. Louis was hired to act as an adviser for the district. Hart has worked on similar bond issue projects with school districts in the area.

"The bond on the ballot asks for permission to borrow X amount of dollars," Hart said. "You don't vote on the levy. You vote on the bond issues."

Hart said his company has had a good success rate with bond issues in the past. "But it's not so much the company as it is the people at the local level behind the project."