PERRYVILLE'S LONG-RANGE PLANNING GROUP HAS PUT ITS HEART AND SOUL INTO ITS PLAN FOR SCHOOLS

The Perryville Board of Education is expected Wednesday to place proposals on the April 4 election ballot that would raise school district property taxes 79 cents to carry out a three-phase plan for construction, building improvements and maintenance, staff salaries and reinstatement of a driver's education program.

The action would culminate studies by a long-range planning committee of citizens who recommended the proposals to meet a pressing need for a new third-through-fifth-grade center and to increase teachers' salaries to bring them up to the average of 13 nearby school districts.

The 79-cent levy increase would bring the district's tax levy to $3.49 per $100 assessed valuation, a reasonable amount considering the gains.

The district has tried unsuccessfully in recent years to increase taxes, but this time it could be different. The committee has put its heart and soul into coming up with a plan that voters might approve because the improvements are needed, and the committee's support could go a long way in helping to get the issues passed.