Crowded Centralia schools get room to grow

With passage of a $9 million bond issue Tuesday, Centralia’s Chance Elementary School will have room to spread out, said its principal, Sandra Dorr.

“Right now, we are just maxed out,” Dorr said. “We may get air conditioning, and we’ll have remodeling and updating as well.”

Centralia was one of three area school districts that asked voters to approve new money for construction, renovations and technology Tuesday. Voters approved a bond issue and a tax increase, while voters in Harrisburg and New Franklin rejected tax increases.

Centralia voters approved the $9 million bond issue to build an upper elementary school for grades three through five. The school will be built near Bicentennial Park and is expected to open for the 2008 school year.

The new school will free up space in Centralia’s Chance Elementary to house an early childhood intervention program and give departments more room.

Dorr said passage of the bond issue means Chance will be a pre-kindergarten through second grade school.

Centralia currently has an early childhood special education program, Dorr said, but the bond’s passage means the creation of an early childhood intervention program to help children who do not qualify for special education but still need extra attention.

Centralia voters also approved a 45-cent tax increase for 2007 to 2009, which will be implemented at 15 cents each year and go toward teacher salaries, educational costs and technology in classrooms. That means the owner of a $100,000 house will be taxed $28.50 more in the first year, $57 more in the second year and $85.50 in the third year.

The money will also be spent on implementation of the eMINTS technology program beginning with the fourth grade. The nationally recognized

technology program, which stands for enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies, was created in part by MU researchers and develops teaching plans for instructional technology in classrooms.

Dorr said she expects third- and fifth-grade teachers to be trained in the technology when the new school opens.

In Harrisburg, voters rejected a 60-cent increase in the district’s property tax levy and approved a boundary change between the Harrisburg and Fayette school districts. Harrisburg, a district of 600 students, would have used the money to add new teacher positions at the high school level necessary to meet state graduation requirements, and to balance the budget, Superintendent Dick Davis said.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed, but that’s the American way,” Davis said of putting the question to the people. “Our district’s needs don’t go away.”

Davis said he expects the Harrisburg school board to make a decision about whether to put another request for funds on the ballot.

Voters in New Franklin rejected a $2.2 million bond issue that would have increased the current tax levy by 26 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. While 61 percent of Boone County voters supported the issue, the bulk of the school district’s taxpayers reside in Howard County, where nearly 60 percent of voters rejected the issue.

Superintendent Jeanie Gordon attributed the bond issue’s failure to Howard County voters feeling overwhelmed by several tax increases on the ballot.

“Howard County voters have always been very supportive, but there were bond issues from the fire district, water district and school board on the ballot,” Gordon said. “And the schools’ request was the most expensive. So Howard County voters were really hit hard (Tuesday).”

Passage of the bond issue would have meant a new heating and cooling system in the high school, a new high school gymnasium with commons and concession areas, and other repairs.

Gordon said New Franklin voters can expect another request for funds in an upcoming election.

“We are going to have to go back to the voters,” Gordon said. “We’ll have to renovate the high school’s 65-year-old heating system. Major renovations are needed, and we do not have the funding in our operating budget to complete those.”