SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES SUPPORT TAX WAIVER, SCHOOL

Perennial issues in the Cape Girardeau School District -- funding and facilities -- top the list of concerns among candidates vying Tuesday for seats on the district's school board.

Voters will choose two of the six candidates to serve on the school board. Incumbent Gwen Bennett is not seeking re-election.

Patrick Ruopp

Incumbent Patrick Ruopp is seeking his fifth term on the board. He believes his 12 years of experience as a school board member is one of his best qualifications.

After two failed tax increase measures, Ruopp said he hopes voters understand the need for new construction and maintenance funding.

The board has asked voters in June to waive a 37-cent Proposition C rollback. Local money from that increase would be used for maintenance and repairs. A November bond issues also is planned for construction of an elementary school.

"It's just so important that we get the repeal of the Proposition C (rollback)," Ruopp said. "It will open a lot of doors for other funding.

"We have $45 million worth of property we are trying to keep up with $200,000 (a year). It's ridiculous. We can't do it."

As a result of budget cuts over past years, Ruopp said, class sizes have edged higher. For years Ruopp has advocated smaller class sizes, especially in elementary classrooms.

"We have a good board and an excellent administrator in Dr. (Neyland) Clark," Ruopp said. "I want to continue in a supportive role to the board and Dr. Clark.

Ruopp, a Cape Girardeau dentist, lives at 3040 Keystone. He and his wife Janet have two children.

Stephen Naeter

Stephen Naeter believes Cape Girardeau voters would like to see improved communication from the school district, especially on fiscal matters.

"I think the citizens of Cape Girardeau would like to see where money is being spent and where it's going to be spent," Naeter said. "Then they could call and ask questions. That doesn't seem to be done now."

He favors both the Proposition C rollback waiver and the new elementary building.

Naeter said Cape Girardeau residents have neglected their school buildings.

"The maintenance that has been done has been aesthetic," he said. "At Washington, May Greene and Schultz, there hasn't been any major renovations since the 1960s or 1970s, and we have ourselves to blame.

However, he said, before Washington and May Greene are "scrapped," Naeter would like to see a cost analysis for renovating the buildings.

Naeter urged people to get out and vote.

"This school board election is for two three-year terms. Two people can really have a big impact on that school board for the next three years," he said.

Naeter, who lives at 10 N. Henderson, works as an audio and video representative at Stereo One. His wife Andlle attends Southeast Missouri State University.

Robert G. Fox

Robert G. Fox suggests the school board needs to set a priority list of plans, then publicize the list.

"We have got to lay out a plan over five to 10 years, explaining what needs to be done and what it will cost," he said.

The list, he said, should include repairs on existing school buildings.

"From the forums and from talking to people I see, they want us to take care of what we've got," Fox said.

He supports the June ballot proposal to waive the 37-cent Proposition C rollback.

Fox said the waiver not only would bring in added revenue, it also would generate state money that could be used for programs for at-risk students and to reduce class size.

Fox served as chairman of the facilities committee of Project Partnership.

"When we did all the studies, elementary overcrowding was the number one concern," he said. "At that time, the middle school was just a way to alleviate crowding. But if an elementary school is what's needed, let's get it done in November."

He said he's concerned that Central High has only one principal and an assistant principal, after a second assistant principal was eliminated during the last round of budget cuts.

Fox would like to see that position reinstated to help deal with discipline issues at the high school.

In addition, he would like to see other items eliminated during budget cuts, specifically a third band director and drivers education, reinstated.

Fox, of 2418 Saddleridge Lane, is a Cape Girardeau dentist. He was unsuccessful in a 1988 school board bid. His wife, Connie, teaches at Central High School. He has two sons.

Addie Marie Walker

Addie Marie Walker said it's time for the school district to take a new look at what children and families need.

She supports the idea of a new elementary school building and a waiver of the Proposition C rollback.

Walker said the benefits of the Proposition C rollback waiver go beyond the capital improvements the funds would be used for.

"When Senate Bill 380 was approved, it allocated money to school districts with children at risk of dropping out of school," she said. "This district qualifies for that money, but because of other troubles, we cannot use the money for at-risk programs.

"If the Proposition C rollback (waiver) is passed, it would free up that 380 money to be used to resolve some other issues."

Walker, a social worker, works with a Caring Communities project at May Green school helping children and their parents become more self-reliant and achieve better success at school.

"At May Greene, the programs we have include the parents. We try to motivate the children to keep them in school," Walker explained. "The school district can set up similar programs with that Senate Bill 380 money."

She added that racial tensions exist within the school district. "I think we need programs on cultural diversity, a workshop to let them all get together and ask questions and learn about each other."

"A large portion of the community, their opinions and concerns are not being heard," Walker said. "I would like to be able to reflect some of their concerns as a member of the school board."

Walker, 421 Mill Street, works as a social worker for the Missouri Division of Family Services with the Caring Communities project at May Greene Elementary School.

She is a divorced parent, raising five children, ranging in age from college to pre-school.

Bill Hopkins

Bill Hopkins said the school district cannot rely on tax dollars alone to solve its problems.

"I think that one of the areas that I am strong in has been creative financing," he said.

As a coach and a businessman, Hopkins said, "I don't rely on tax dollars to do anything. And I know that there is about a 99.9 percent reliance on tax dollars in public schools."

He suggested enlisting the help of area businesses in the school district. Businesses and the university could be tapped for resources like equipment and money but also for expertise.

"The worst thing that can happen when you ask is someone says no. I don't think just asking through bond issues is the only way to raise money."

Hopkins said he's "100 percent in favor" of the bond issue proposed to fund a new elementary school.

"You can only do so much for so long to those buildings," Hopkins said. "There is a desperate need for an elementary school.

Hopkins believes discipline is probably the number one classroom concern.

"We've got to get discipline off the backs of teachers," he said. "Teachers are not hired to be babysitters and cops. Discipline needs to be greatly tightened and we need an administration and board to stand up to those few parents who back their kids in things that are wrong," Hopkins said.

Hopkins said a top concern for him is gender equity between boys and girls sports. "Girls are lacking in the kind of support that they should get," Hopkins said. "I feel my daughter should be treated the same way as my son. I don't think that happens."

Hopkins also would like to institute an intramurals program at the elementary level.

Hopkins is women's gymnastic coach at Southeast Missouri State University. He also owns Riverside Gymnastics and Riverside Recording. He is married to Jayne, and they have three children. He lives at 1700 Brookwood.

Jack L. Sterrett

Jack L. Sterrett supports two proposals currently on the table for the Cape Girardeau Board of Education -- the Proposition C rollback waiver and construction of a new elementary school.

"I believe the thinking of the board is correct," Sterrett said. "They have heard the public forums and solicited the input of the public.

"I'm for new buildings and maintaining what we have and for looking toward the future," Sterrett said.

Sterrett says the school system needs infusion of technology in the classroom at all levels.

"We've got to move the system forward," he said. "The underlying principal for development and ability to move forward in the community is tied back to education."

Sterrett also is concerned about morale in the district. "I would really like to see more smiles throughout the entire system," he said.

He is interested in establishing a tough discipline code.

"We need a discipline policy that has teeth, and we need to support it from the top down," Sterrett said. "Building principals must get behind their teachers."

Sterrett said the board needs members "who aren't afraid to face tough decisions and are not afraid to make those decisions."

Sterrett, 835 Karau Lane, is a marketing professor at Southeast Missouri State University. He was unsuccessful in a bid for the school board last year.

Sterrett this semester also is serving as interim director of career planning and placement. He and his wife, Sharon, have two children.