Cairo voters say no to school, tax increase

School district voters in Cairo, Ill., left little doubt about how they felt about last week's vote on a bond issue to build a new school. By more than a 2-to-1 majority, they said no. As a result, Cairo's school levy won't go up. It is already the highest levy in Southern Illinois.

The bond issue would have raised $4.1 million and would have been matched by $12 million in state funds. Despite this attractive financial arrangement, voters weren't convinced that they needed to pay more taxes. Many weren't even convinced the district needed a new building. Opinions differed on the conditions of three existing buildings that would have been replaced by the new school. At one point during the election campaign, the superintendent said one of the building was a century old. It isn't, and the subsequent backtracking added to doubts and confusion about the bond vote.

Some city leaders in Cairo saw the proposed tax increase as a death knell for future economic development. Clearly, Cairo is in need of a major shift in fortune. How that can be accomplished remains to be seen. For now, voters have said a new school isn't part of the equation.