VOTERS TO BE ASKED TO CONTINUE SCHOOL PROJECTS

Voters will decide April 4 on a bond issue to continue significant changes in Cape Girardeau's schools, including the closing of Schultz school and the construction of a new high school.

Approval of the bond issue would extend for 20 years -- three years longer -- a levy approved by voters in 1997 to pay off the bonds. But the total school levy wouldn't go up.

The bond issue in 1997 for the first phase of major school improvements passed by impressive 65 percent. The April 4 bond issue requires a four-sevenths, or a little more than 57 percent majority for passage.

It's critical for taxpayers to fully understand what they are being asked to approve.

Back in 1997, school-district voters approved the first part of funding for a master plan that included changes throughout the district. The April vote would allow the district to follow through on this comprehensive plan.

Phase I of the master plan financed the construction of Blanchard Elementary School and a new career and technology school to replace the existing vocational school.

Phase I also included renovations to the other elementary schools: Alma Schrader, Clippard, Jefferson and Franklin.

With voter approval, Phase II would have a ripple effect throughout the district.

A new high school would be built for grades nine through 12. The existing high school building is structurally sound and would be converted into to a junior high school for seventh and eighth graders. With fewer students in the building, there would be opportunities for better use of the space. It would also cut down on traffic congestion that has been a problem as more and more high school students drive to school.

In turn, the current junior high building would be turned into a center for fifth and sixth graders, freeing up more room at the city's five elementary schools, which would house kindergartners through fourth graders. Currently, elementary schools include kindergartners through sixth graders.

For parents of children in the school district, the benefits of Phase II of the school district's master plan are certainly likely to be more concrete. Parents tend to understand the competitive pressures of today's students, beginning in the elementary schools and building as youngsters prepare to graduate from high school.

But what about other taxpayers with no direct ties to the schools? Why should they care about the school district and its master plan?

The quality of a city's school system is a major consideration for recruiting new business and industry. Economic growth produces revenue for the school district that doesn't have to come from the pockets of individual taxpayers.

The quality of the school system is a top priority for new families moving into town. Schools -- from academics to athletics -- are the key measuring stick used to compare communities.

This vote can help Cape Girardeau measure up when comparing school districts across the state.

The vision for improving Cape Girardeau's schools has been a long time coming.

Back in 1995, the school board first asked the community what it wanted in its school system: what programs, what facilities and what voters might be willing to pay. The community has been consulted and informed all along the way.

This give-and-take process will continue as the April bond vote approaches. The district is prepared to answer any and all questions and concerns. Education, not emotion, remains the key to passage of this blueprint critical to continued improvement of Cape Girardeau's public schools.