SCHOOL OF DREAMS: OPENING SLATED FOR FALL 2002

The opening of a new public high school in 2002 should benefit practically all of Cape Girardeau.

But for John Jenkins' family, a new high school simply means a decrease in the number of early dismissals for secondary students attending classes in non-air-conditioned classrooms.

And then there is the excitement of being first. Jenkins' youngest daughter, Amanda, is an eighth-grade student whose class is expected to be the first to graduate from the new school.

"Most of the people that I've talked to are excited about it," said John Jenkins. "I was glad they were able to do it. I'm kind of tired of every day in the summer kids coming home because it's too hot."

The school district will see cost savings as it closes Louis J. Schultz School, the district's oldest and least efficient building to operate. Increased security and better programming are other benefits the new high school will make possible.

City officials, real estate agents and business leaders all said the high school will mean more economic development as new homes and businesses are built in the area surrounding the high school campus in southwest Cape Girardeau.

Improvements expected

Workers already are making improvements to roads, sewers and water systems in the area surrounding the school. Those improvements, coupled with the completion of a golf course in the vicinity, are expected to spur economic growth.

As the infrastructure in the area improves, new housing that is affordable to younger families also is expected to develop, bringing an end to the five-year enrollment decline Cape Girardeau schools have experienced.

The district's enrollment has dropped 6.2 percent from 4,295 in the 1996-97 school year to 4,031 this year.

"I think we'll see it slowly level off and begin to come back up," said school board president Dr. Bob Fox. "School-aged kids generally come from younger families, and younger families traditionally buy homes in a mid-price range. There's going to be that opportunity there."

John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, said businesses considering relocating to the area would consider the construction of new homes, churches and schools in their decision-making process. It is in the community's favor that all of those aspects can be answered affirmatively.

"One of the quality-of-life issues that relocating businesses look at when they come to a community is that community-type growth," said Mehner.

Community to benefit

Schools superintendent Dr. Dan Steska called the high school a "school of dreams" for the community. Residents and business leaders had a hand in developing the plan to finance the building, and they will reap numerous benefits.

"I think people will be attracted because of the appearance and the quality of the schools," said Steska. "Indirectly, schools draw people to the community and enhance the employment possibilities."

The high school's 75-acre campus -- situated on a gravel portion of Silver Springs Road west of Kingshighway -- will be shared with the recently completed Career and Technology Center and will be visible to passers-by on Interstate 55.

The new school will feature a two-story academic wing that wraps around an enlarged library that extends the height of the building. A second, single-level wing will house athletic space, including competition and practice gymnasiums.

Counseling and administrative offices and additional space for an expanded music department and industrial technology courses also will be located in the single-story wing, along with an expanded cafeteria-commons area that will be large enough to accommodate a closed-campus policy the district plans to establish.

The 201,442-square-foot building will have parking lots situated behind the school and fewer doors to restrict access into the building.

A gateway and showcase'

"It will be an excellent gateway and showcase for the community," Steska said. "We're also hoping that, because the high school will be immediately next to the career center, we will be able to really encourage kids to get involved with the Career and Technology Center early in their high school careers."

Fox said students districtwide will benefit from the building improvements after grades are reconfigured at every level.

The new high school will house grades nine through 12, and the existing Central High School will become a seventh- and eighth-grade junior high. The junior high school will house fifth- and sixth-grade students, and all elementary schools will house kindergarten through fourth grades.

"Right now, all of the kids truly don't come together as a citywide school until the seventh grade, and that's a tumultuous time in their lives anyway," Fox said. "To do that sooner is great because they'll be together earlier."

Failure before success

Fox, who was a school board member when the district first began considering building improvements in 1993, witnessed the failure of three separate bond issues before the district approved a $14 million bond issue in 1997 that kicked off the first part of a two-phase plan for building improvements.

The bond issue -- which required a 69-cent tax increase -- funded construction of the new career center, Blanchard Elementary School and renovations at other school buildings. May Greene and Washington elementary schools were closed.

Voters approved a second bond issue last spring for $18 million. The measure did not require a tax increase.

The bond issue is expected to raise nearly $25 million to cover construction and some equipping costs for the new high school.

Although completion of the high school will cap a comprehensive plan to improve the district's schools, there is still more work to be done, Fox said. The district is seeking voter approval on Aug. 7 of a 58-cent operating levy tax increase.

The additional funding would be used to cover increased operating expenses caused by additional building space and planned staff salary increases.

"It's a culmination of a long, drawn-out master plan," he said. "In a way, yeah, it's the last step. It's going to be a big plus to not only have the best facilities but also to be able to attract the faculty we need to attract.".

CAPE GIRARDEAU SCHOOL FACTS

The joint high school and Career and Technology Center campus will be located west of Kingshighway and east of Interstate 55 on a gravel portion of Silver Springs Road. The career center has been completed and can be seen from the interstate. The new school is expected to halt a five-year enrollment decline.

Enrollment decline in Cape Girardeau public schools

4,295 students -- 1996-97

4,269 students -- 1997-98

4,227 students -- 1998-99

4,072 students -- 1999-00

4,031 students -- 2000-01

Campus highlights

* The 201,442-square-foot building is adjacent to the new career center on a 75-acre campus.

* It will include an eight-lane, asphalt track that surrounds a football field complete with goal posts.*

* Completed softball, baseball, soccer and band fields will be available for use when school opens.*

* No lighting, bleachers or concession areas were included in the initial completion of the high school.