School funding issues fail on many state ballots

Officials in southwest Missouri's Ozark school district went to work Wednesday to find 10 new teachers for the upcoming school year, after voters narrowly approved a 49-cent property tax levy increase for the district.

Ozark and other school districts were celebrating after Tuesday's elections, but results of elections were not as positive in other districts where officials were hoping for help from voters as they struggle with decreased state funding for education.

Regional ballots

In Southeast Missouri, voters cast their ballot for a new county jail and sewage treatment facilities.

Dunklin County voted 909-679 in favor of a one-half cent increase in sales tax to build a new county jail and judicial complex.

"I am well pleased with the fact the tax passed," Sheriff Bob Holder said Tuesday. "It shows the people of Dunklin County still have progress at heart and are willing to help make the community a better place."

Thirty-nine voters in the village of Glen Allen also went to the polls, approving a $150,000 bond issue 35-4 that would pay for a sewer treatment system.

Village board chairman Eldon Woodfin was surprised at the margin by which the bond was approved.

"We thought it would be closer, but we're all happy," he said.

"Hopefully we can at least get it started this fall and get it finished in six to eight months."

School funding

In Ozark, the approval of the property tax levy increase means the district can fill 10 of 11 vacant teaching positions that would have been eliminated if the levy had failed, said Ozark superintendent Leo Snelling. The 11th position will be filled by a staffing change.

Snelling was confident teachers could still be found so close to the beginning of the new school year.

"Probably, right now there are a lot of good teachers that don't have jobs because other districts have laid them off for budget reasons," he said.

In contrast, the Smithton school district, near Sedelia, will go ahead with planned cuts in classes, personnel and supplies after a 60-cent property tax increase was defeated by an 18-vote margin Tuesday -- the second time the tax increase was rejected this year.

Voters were asked to pass the measure to make up for state cuts and reverse the cuts the Smithton Board of Education has already made.

"I know we've made a lot of deep cuts for our kids and it looks like we'll have to carry through on those cuts," said superintendent Bill Hadlow. "We've been told the funding's just not going to be there next year either."

The 25 cuts already passed by the board include 12 teaching positions, a bus route, extracurricular activities, and purchases of supplies and textbooks.

"Most of the cuts come from your high school, it's hard to cut elementary, and everything we've built for the past 20 to 25 years will be gone," said school board member Brad Pollitt. "Basically we're gutting our high school."

In Spokane, in Southwest Missouri, voters rejected a 23-cent school levy increase. Spokane Superintendent Verlin Tyler blamed unclear ballot language for the defeat. And in Willard, a proposal that would have allowed the school board to launch new tax levy proposals in the future was voted down 490-240.

In northwest Missouri, Cainsville, Mound City and South Nodaway County school districts each won approval of measures to increase local and state aid.

"Praise God," Kenneth Eaton, superintendent of schools for the Mound City School District, said after voters approved a 64-cent tax levy increase. "That's what I said when I got the results, it's what I'm saying now."

Cainsville and South Nodaway County voters agreed to the districts' requests to eliminate a rollback of a 1-cent sales tax established to provide funding for public education. That will increase the operating levy for both districts, resulting in additional state and local funds.

Sturgeon voters rejected a similar proposal to eliminate the rollback, meaning the district will impose some budget cuts and will have a smaller cushion against more cuts that are expected next spring, said superintendent Frank Curtis.

South Nodaway had already dropped some personnel and frozen salaries for much of its staff. Superintendent Terry Hutchings said the voters' approval means the district won't have to make more cuts anytime soon.

Fulton public school patrons approved, by more than 80 percent, a measure to raise the district's operating levy by 20 cents.

But voters in Grain Valley rejected a proposed 75-cent tax levy increase.

Superintendent Chris Small predicted voters would see the issue on the ballot again.

"I just don't see the situation in the state turning around any time soon," he said. "This will show up again. Until then, we will deal with our growth the best we can with what we have."