GOOD SCHOOL DISTRICTS DESERVE VOTERS' SUPPORT

Dozens of readers of the Southeast Missourian have written letters to the editor and made Speak Out comments in recent weeks about the proposed tax increases in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts.

Voters in the two districts will decide Tuesday whether they want tax increases to pay for operational expenses.

For the most part, the letters and comments have urged voters to oppose the tax increases.

A few, however, have looked beyond the added tax burden of a few cents a day to the need for well-taught, well-equipped classrooms.

Both districts are -- or soon will be -- in tiptop shape with new and renovated buildings. Now the challenge is to make sure teachers and other staff members get competitive pay and to make sure the districts have adequate funding to operate top-notch districts.

It's easy to find excuses to vote against school taxes.

Some voters say they don't have children or grandchildren in school, so they aren't interested in higher taxes even if the amount isn't all that large. A well-educated community is a benefit to everyone who lives here. We want the people who serve us and doctor us and minister to us to be properly trained. Indeed, there is no one whose life isn't benefited by high-quality education.

Other voters wonder why the districts are asking for more money, since Cape Girardeau County taxpayers have received assessment notices in recent months, mostly indicating that assessed values on which taxes are paid have gone up. Won't that generate more money for school districts? Yes and no. There will be an increase in revenue to school districts as a result of growing property values, but the districts also are required to offset any windfall from reassessment.

Some voters complain that the districts aren't being prudent with the money they have, so why should voters give them more money and incur higher taxes? School districts everywhere tend to make every dollar stretch as far as possible, and the Cape Girardeau and Jackson districts are good examples. The Cape Girardeau district, for example, tightened its belt by about $1 million when it appeared state funding for the new career and technology center might not come through. Now that the state has paid its share of that project, the district must make up for needs that went unfunded during the financial squeeze.

It's also easy for voters to find reasons to say yes to Tuesday's levy proposals.

Just take a look at the chart accompanying the letter to the editor below. Two of the finest and largest districts in the area are playing second fiddle to smaller districts when it come to paying teachers.

And the Cape Girardeau district has the lowest percentage of its per-student funding coming from the state and, instead, must rely on local sources of funding. That local source is taxpayers.

Even if the proposed increases are approved, the two local districts will still have lower school tax burdens than districts in most other states. This is good, because it tells taxpayers who watch their pennies that our districts are using their funding wisely with good results. And this is bad, because it indicates local taxpayers haven't been paying their fair share for a long time.

There are basic community values that deserve wide support. Our homes deserve to have strong parental control in family affairs. Our churches deserve the tithes of members. Our neighbors deserve the best educational opportunities. And taxpayers deserve the best use and full accountability of every dollar they pay to government at all levels.

Public schools, through the support of district patrons, provide the fundamental bedrock for all of these basic community values. Our schools deserve our support. Please vote yes on Tuesday.