SCHOOL YES VOTES HIT 2,000; QUESTIONS ANSWERED

The chairman of Cape Girardeau's 5500 Club, Melvin Gateley, painted two stripes on the club's schoolhouse in recognition of 1,000 more yes-vote pledges for April 1.

So far 2,000 yes votes have been pledged. School officials calculate that at least 5,500 yes votes are needed to pass the April 1 ballot measures.

Gateley, a retired school principal, expressed confidence that the 5,500 yes-vote pledges would be collected by April 1.

"As we move along, it's been exciting to see all the involvement, the participation and the positive attitudes," said Gateley.

The school board is asking voters to approve two funding issues: sale of $14 million in bonds and a waiver of the Proposition C rollback. Approval of both would mean a 69-cent increase in the tax levy.

The money would be used to fund construction of an elementary school and vocational-technical school and to renovate the district's other schools. May Greene and Washington schools would be closed.

A second phase around the year 2000 calls for construction of a high school. Fifth- and sixth-graders would move to the junior high. Seventh- and eighth-graders would move to the high school and grades 9 through 12 would move to the new high-school building. L.J. Schultz School would close.

As part of the campaign, school officials offer answers to voters' questions. Questions will be answered by calling 335-1867 during business hours. Callers after hours should leave questions on an answering machine at 334-2816 or 334-2817. A school official will return calls with answers.

You can also send questions to the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo 63701.

Answers to some questions people have asked:

Q: How do I calculate the school-tax-levy increase in my taxes?

A: Determine the assessed value of your home by multiplying its actual value by 19 percent. Divide the assessed value by 100 and multiply that figure by 34 cents. That amount is the total school-tax increase.

The increase in the tax levy would be 34 cents per $100 assessed valuation, based on this formula:

$3.27 tax rate ceiling

- .35 reassessment rollback

+ .30 debt service

- 0 Prop C rollback

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$3.22 the 1997 tax rate

-2.88 1996 tax rate

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.34 tax levy increase

Q: Why is the total school-tax increase different for houses with the same market value?

A: Reassessment causes the differences. Depending on where homes are, the value of property has risen at different rates.

Consider two homes of the same market value, $100,000. The assessor says the market value of one had been $60,000 and the other $90,000. Under reassessment the values of both are increased to $100,000. The $60,000 house will have a bigger increase than the $90,000 house.

During reassessment, the assessor is updating the actual or market value for homes.

Q: What is the plan for redrawing elementary attendance areas if the ballot issues fail?

A: No plan exists; however, a plan would need to be developed. Cape Girardeau hasn't redrawn elementary attendance areas in 30 years.

Q: What happens if Cape Girardeau gets $3.15 million from the state legislature toward construction of the vocational-technical school?

A: Legislators are considering funding half the building's construction cost, about $3.15 million. The school board is asking for authority to sell up to $14 million in bonds. If Cape Girardeau gets the $3.15 million, the school board wouldn't sell about $3 million of those bonds. In the second phase, when a second $14 million bond issue is proposed, the school district would need only $11 million because $3 million was available for sale from the first phase.

Q: Does Cape Girardeau really need extra space?

A: At the end of the first phase, the number of elementary classrooms stays the same. A new elementary building is constructed and an addition is built at Jefferson, but two elementary schools, Washington and May Greene are closed. The district is planning for additional space at the end of the second phase. At that time, the five elementary buildings would have kindergarten through fourth-grades. Fifth and sixth grades would be at the junior high, seventh and eighth grades at the high school and ninth through 12th grades at a new high school campus. The school board is anticipating growth in Cape Girardeau over the next 10 years, based on planned new residential developments and proposed new businesses. "If we plan for 10 years and don't plan for some growth, I think we would be remiss in our duties," said superintendent Dan Tallent.