SCHOOL FUNDING

It is no secret. Cape Girardeau's public school buildings are outdated and ill-equipped.

The last year that Cape Girardeau approved a school bond issue was in 1976, when a $2.5 million addition resulted in a new high school gymnasium. But it has been nearly 30 years since the district actually constructed a new building -- in 1967 the vocational-technical school was constructed.

Over many months, an 11-member finance committee has analyzed ways to pay for the district's building needs and have formulated a plan. The Cape Girardeau Board of Education will discuss the proposal at its Oct. 21 meeting. The proposal deserves serious consideration by both the board and community.

It is true the proposed 69-cent tax increase is no small change. But it is considerably less than the 99-cent proposal that failed in 1992. Most importantly, the proposal would allow the district to get a big bang for its bucks.

The committee has mapped out a multiphase construction plan that begins with $14 million to finance a new elementary school, a new vocational school and some renovations. The second $14 million phase would construct a new high school, renovate the old high school to a seventh- and eighth-grade center and transform the junior high into a fifth- and sixth-grade center.

The committee has recommended the bond issue be placed on the ballot next April.

The proposal is far-reaching and complex. It will require an open mind on the part of the public and a aggressive information campaign on the part of the district.

The proposal would actually be funded by two separate but related measures. One would authorize sale of $14 million in bonds. That would be funded with a 30-cents-per-$100-of-assessed-valuation levy increase. Secondly, voters will be asked to waive the 39-cent Proposition C rollback to fund operations. Both of these measures would appear on the same ballot.

Within a few years, the district would ask voters to approve an additional $14 million in bonds, which would require no tax increase.

In recent years, the Cape Girardeau School District has been unsuccessful at the ballot box. Issues failed in 1992, 1993 and 1994.

But a change in leadership -- both a new superintendent and school board -- has turned the district around in 1996. This new leadership is building a growing trust both in the schools and in the community. But trust alone won't win a campaign.

The need for the improvements must be spelled out clearly and openly, and they must be underscored again and again for voters.

Cape Girardeau could also take a lesson from the Jackson School District, which has been successful in passing bond issues. Jackson voters approved a $4.7 million bond issue in 1993 and a $7.8 million bond issue in 1996 by wide margins. Jackson voters clearly understood the needs, and where the money would be spent.

The 11-member finance committee deserves credit for working long hours to put together this proposal. But the district and board leadership must realize that the work has just begun.

Public schools are an investment, just like a house or car. Voters must realize that without proper care, public schools cannot flourish. The future of our community and its leadership, depends on first-rate public schools.