Nenninger, Moore to sit on Cape School Board

An incumbent and new school board member will help implement the district's recently approved $40 million plan while also making decisions regarding state funding cuts.

Incumbent Paul Nenninger and banker Phil Moore won at the polls Tuesday. They received 33.87 percent and 26.77 percent of the vote respectively. Moore and Nenninger will now serve three year terms on the board.

Nenninger and Moore beat out former superintendent Don Call and Southeast Missouri State University department chair Hamner Hill. Call and Hill received 23.43 percent and 15.49 percent of the vote respectively.

"This isn't a fix-all solve-all," said Moore, referring to the bond issue, which was also approved Tuesday. Work is expected to begin on maintenance projects during the summer but designs need to be finalized for new construction projects. Board members will approve bids for renovation and construction projects, including a new elementary school, a high school auditorium and additions at several schools.

The overhaul of buildings comes during a tough financial time for school districts across the state. According to projections from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the district could face from $129,000 to $255,000 in cuts in the June payment from the state. Other shortfalls are projected in transportation funds and Proposition C sales tax revenue. There are other proposals at the state level that could affect how state funds are doled out in the future.

Phillip Moore

District officials said deferred maintenance projects included in the issue will free operational funds to ready the district for potential cuts in state funding. Moore said he was relieved the proposal passed but is preparing for the other financial decisions.

"I was really concerned about coming on if it didn't pass," he said.

A commercial loan officer for the Bank of Missouri, he said he is learning the financial aspects of schools, including the cuts they expect.

Before and after the board approved the bond proposal, Nenninger advocated a more incremental approach. He raised concerns about the plan's impact on operating costs during a tough financial time. In the end, he said he left the decision to district voters.

"The voters have said, 'This is what we want to do,'" said Nenninger, a retired Secret Service agent.

Paul Nenninger

As the district proceeds with the plan, the focus will be providing the most up-to-date facilities to support long-term student achievement, he said.

"Once it's built, it starts getting old," Nenninger said.

Getting the most value for students and taxpayers will also be important, he said.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Hamner Hill, candidate for Cape Girardeau School Board (KRISTIN EBERTS)

Pertinent address:

301 N. Clark Ave. Cape Girardeau, MO