By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph school administrators promise to move quickly on promised projects in wake of voter approval of the $20 million bond issue.
School Superintendent Gabe Edgar says the vote demonstrates the community’s support for the school district.
“I think it shows us that the community does want to see the school district succeed,” Edgar tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “We have a long way to go, but we’re going to do our best to get there.”
Edgar says the overwhelming vote in favor of the issue gives the district hope.
“I’ve said all along, in several conversations, that I really do believe that we’re at a crossroads here in St. Joseph School District,” Edgar says. “We do need to move things forward. Big change is coming and it looks like people are going to support that change.”
Edgar says meetings about implementing the projects financed by the bonds began the day after the vote with teachers and staff excited about the future.
“I did receive a lot of text messages, a lot of phone calls and a lot of that excitement was coming directly from the people that work within the walls of the St. Joseph School District every day.”
Turf fields will replace grass fields at the high school football stadiums with aging tracks replaced at a cost of $6.5 million. The district will spend $3.2 million on fine arts programs, such as upgrades to all high school theatres. Elementary schools will receive new stage sound systems and screen equipment. Seven elementary schools will receive kilns for their art rooms. A district-wide intercom system will be installed at an estimated cost of $2 million. A bit more than $2 million will be used to make heating and cooling improvements to Robidoux, Pershing, Edison, Mark Twain, Spring Garden, Pickett, and Field elementary schools. Hosea Elementary will get three new classrooms. New roadways will be built for Oak Grove and Carden Park elementary schools. Sidewalk repairs are scheduled for Spring Garden.
Edgar says the biggest challenge facing the bond issue was explaining complicated, often confusing, public school financing. The school district placed the issue on the ballot in part to protect the current levy. Under Missouri public school financing, if the district didn’t tap its bonding potential, the levy would drop, requiring a vote of the people to raise it.
Edgar says he made explaining school financing part of his presentation during the 50-to-60 meetings he attended during the campaign.
“I really think that the long-range plan probably would’ve been put to a halt if this did not pass just for the fact that our ability to get enough dollars of no-tax increase money would’ve been very limited.”
Edgar says discussions on getting projects off the ground began the day after the election. Administrators met with representatives of L. J. Hart & Company, the district’s financial adviser, last week.
This article has been edited since first published.
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