SCHOOL OFFICIALS AWAIT RESPONSE TO BOUNDARY CHANGES

Cape Girardeau school officials hope a proposal to redraw boundaries for elementary schools will prompt responses from parents and others.

Board president Bob Fox said Tuesday he hadn't received much reaction on the proposal outlined Monday night at a school board meeting. But he speculated that people are studying the proposed changes.

The Board of Education tabled a proposal to adopt new elementary boundaries until the February meeting in hopes that people would take a look at the changes and make comments and suggestions. People have until Feb. 17 to make written comments.

New boundaries would be needed if voters approve a 69-cent tax increase April 1. The tax increase would fund the first phase of the school district's 10-year master plan.

The first phase calls for construction of a new elementary school, closing Washington and May Greene elementary schools, and upgrading the remaining schools. A new vocational-technical school would also be built.

A committee made up of elementary principals and a parent from each building met 11 times over the past two months to develop the proposed new boundaries, which would move children from six elementary schools to five.

In addition, they looked at ways of improving racial and socioeconomic diversity in the school district.

Projected minority enrollments under the proposal: Alma Schrader, 6 percent; Clippard, 14 percent; Franklin, 30 percent; Jefferson, 29 percent; new school, 30 percent.

Committee chairman Steve Trautwein told the board that the proposal should be considered a first step.

Cape Girardeau elementary attendance areas haven't changed since 1975, when the old Lorimier School closed.

Trautwein said the committee recommends a periodic review of attendance and growth in the city to make adjustments in school boundaries.

Fox said one goal of the master plan is to make each elementary school the same. Improvements included in the master plan would make that possible, he said.

"Every school would have the same type of music room, a computer lab, a nice library," Fox said. "Basically all of them, except Franklin, will be about the same size.

"In the past our facilities have kind of dictated what was taught at certain buildings," Fox said. "This way all things will be pretty much the same across the board."

Comments should be sent to Attendance Area Proposal, Board of Education, 61 N. Clark, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701.