VO-TECH FUNDING MEANS FUTURE SAVINGS FOR LOCAL TAXPAYERS

The $14 million school bond issue approved by Cape Girardeau voters last year resulted in state funding for one capital project and savings for local taxpayers.

In his State of the State address last week Gov. Mel Carnahan announced a proposed budget that included $1.5 million for a portion of the cost of a 90,000-square-foot vocational-technical school in Cape Girardeau. Carnahan requested $3.1 million in last year's budget for the vo-tech school; lawmakers eventually awarded the school district $1.5 million.

If fully-appropriated, the district would receive just under half of the $6.2 million Cape Girardeans originally agreed to put up for the construction of the building. That equals savings for local taxpayers.

Cape schools superintendent Dan Tallent was out of the office Thursday. Assistant superintendent Bill Biggerstaff said administrators are pleased with the governor's inclusion of the request; however, savings exist even if lawmakers choose not to fund it.

"Any time you're asking for a given amount and you receive funds from a different area there would be some savings," Biggerstaff said.

He said he did not want to speculate on how the savings could be used.

Last year Tallent said state appropriations would mean savings down the road. With the additional money, the district could ask voters for fewer bonds in a planned second phase of construction or it could pay less in interest by completing projects more quickly, he said.

The bond issue would fund construction of the vocational-technical school and an elementary school, as well as provide money to renovate school buildings.

School officials would ask voters to approve a second $14 million bond issue to fund the second phase. The tax levy would remain the same. The 30 cents used to pay off the first bond issue would be continued to pay off the second bond issue.

A new high school would be built on the same tract of land as the vocational-technical school if the second bond issue request is approved. The high school campus would include practice and playing athletic fields and parking lots. The five elementary schools would be changed to house grades kindergarten through four. The current junior high would be renovated for fifth and sixth grades. The current high school would be renovated for seventh and eighth grades. The old vocational school would be renovated for district-wide programs, administrative offices and warehouse space.