Gainesville School District patrons will consider a millage increase when they go to the polls Tuesday. If this sounds familiar, it is. By just 14 votes, Gainesville voters rejected a proposed millage increase in the Aug. 7th Primary Election. Just under 1,400 votes were cast in the first effort known as Proposition Gainesville Bulldogs.
The Ozark County Times reports all Ozark County precincts except Thornfield, Richland or Dora and Bayou or Bakersfield will vote on the Gainesville school district issue. It is the only locally contested issue on the Nov. 6th general election ballot in Ozark County. Republican candidates who won in the Aug. 7th Primary Election had no Democratic challengers and run unopposed on Tuesday’s ballot.
With regard to the Gainesville millage increase, the board has made two changes to the proposal for Tuesday’s ballot, known as Proposition Gainesville Schools.
First, the board voted to phase in the 75-cent levy increase over three years. If approved by Gainesville school district voters on Tuesday, district taxpayers will see a 25-cent increase in 2019, a 25-cent increase in 2020 and the final 25-cent increase in 2021.
Second, the board voted to add a sunset provision to the levy increase, which means, if approved, the increase will expire on Dec. 31st, 2043. In August, after the proposition was defeated, the board set the current tax year’s levy at $2.75, following the schedule required by law. This means that even if the proposition passes Tuesday, district residents will not see the first phase of the increase take effect until the 2019 tax year.
The Gainesville school district functions at the state minimum operating levy of $2.75. Out of 516 public school districts in Missouri, only 61 or 12 percent, have the minimum levy of $2.75. The state average is $3.67.
If the levy increase passes, Gainesville will reach $3.50 by 2021, which is still lower than the state average and lower than other districts in Ozark County. Currently, Bakersfield’s levy is $4.64, Dora’s is $3.61 and Luties is $3.65.
School officials say the proposal is needed because the last voter-approved tax levy increase in Gainesville was in 1993 – 25 years ago. Each year, they say they are underfunded by $1.5 million from the state of Missouri for transportation. That is money they have to make up locally to provide transportation for students.
Officials says increased funds have been needed for decades, and needs have continued to go unmet. Pay for all district employees falls behind other districts and industries, and each year, the district loses a significant number of employees due to higher pay elsewhere.
Critical facility needs including roof repair, HVAC, kitchen and cafeteria expansion, furniture replacement, preschool expansion, accessibility and safety measures have grown due to limited resources and increasing costs.
Gainesville school officials say an increase in operating funds will provide a much-needed update to facilities, including accessibility and safety improvements. Members of the community are invited into the facilities on numerous occasions, such as Grandparents Day, where 400 grandparents were fed last year; graduations; sporting events; parent/teacher conferences; class parties; volunteer opportunities; assemblies and more. The entire community benefits from having a top-notch school.
School officials say while a new, multipurpose gymnasium is included in the plans, rumors the gym is the primary focus or that it is the only reason for the levy increase are false. The current gym is not ADA compliant. Consequently, the needs of visitors with disabilities, whether it be wheelchair accessibility or seating that doesn’t require navigating steep stairs, are not available.
In addition, the school facilities cannot comfortably hold a high school graduation ceremony, for example, in the current gymnasium.
Election Day is the only time Missouri residents can vote other than through casting an absentee ballot. Missouri remains one of just 13 states to prohibit early voting, or no-excuse absentee voting.
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