`YES' VOTE TUESDAY PROVIDES NECESSARY SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

Since the presentation and failure of Cape Girardeau's school improvements issue in April, a number of things have changed: the issue itself is smaller by half, and the state has a new school funding formula. One thing hasn't changed: The public school buildings in Cape Girardeau continue to age. The time has come to do something about the condition of these taxpayer-owned physical facilities. We believe a "yes" vote Tuesday is an appropriate step.

When the school district offered an improvements package this spring, we believed it had merit. This time, with only an $18.5 million middle school as the centerpiece of the plan, the scaled-back version is even more appealing, mainly because the lesser tax increase is more in tune with these cautious times. However, some of our arguments of support in April still stand up. Three schools in the Cape Girardeau district -- May Greene, Washington and L.J. Schultz -- have a combined age of 230 years. May Greene and Washington will likely be taken out of commission with passage of the issue Tuesday. An addition will be built at Jefferson School.

The school district has not constructed a new academic building in more than a quarter-century. The last facility built for a general student population was Charles C. Clippard School, opened in 1965. How many computers did they have in classrooms when Lyndon Johnson was president? How many audio-visual teaching devices were available before the heyday of video-cassettes, satellite dishes and compact discs? What energy inefficiencies were common to 1960s' construction techniques that are recognized as outmoded today? Even with the newest schools, improvements are needed. What Tuesday's issue addresses are those buildings that are perhaps a half-century or more behind the times.

Why was nothing done since the 1960s to better plan for the day when schools would be crumbling? Well, that's really beside the point. The fact is that the needs of the public school system are immediate and the only remedy is citizen action. Some old buildings must be phased out and new ones opened, and that doesn't happen by revisiting past decisions; it only happens by voters taking a positive civic step.

The timing is right. Interest rates remain low, and the opportunity to finance this new construction at a reasonable figure might never be better. This project is inevitable; waiting will make it more expensive.

In addition, passage of the 51-cent tax increase will trigger an additional $900,000 in state money that can be used in part for operational needs. In contrast to the law as it was written when the April vote was held, the state now seeks to reward school districts that take extra steps toward improvement. There is nothing that says this law will remain on the books forever; it's better to get it while the getting's good.

There are plenty of reasons people can come up with for voting against this issue:

There are too many tax increases in the works? You're right, but at least you can have the satisfaction of knowing these tax dollars are being put to use inside the city limits ... and not being shipped to Jefferson City or Washington for distribution.

There is no direct benefit for many people in the community? True again, but no one can take pride in a city where schools are allowed to deteriorate without intervention.

You don't agree with decisions made by school board members or administrators? This is not about personalities or things that are transitory. People come and go, but this new school will stand for decades and serve generations of young people.

The amount sought is too high? It's half of what it was last time, and probably the minimum of what it will take to get this facility built.

The education being provided in current buildings is not up to par, so why throw money at new construction? We believe most Cape Girardeau teachers show great resourcefulness in dealing with outmoded facilities. To the point, though, education is not enhanced in any way by buildings that are no longer adequate to the task.

At some point, you put aside all these other issues and take a stand on a fundamental question: Are we, as a community, interested in educational excellence? If the answer is no, how can we expect our children to strive for this goal? If the answer is yes, passage of the school issue Tuesday marks a move in the right direction. An affirmative vote won't solve all educational ills. It does resolve some problems. We urge its passage.