SIKESTON -- Following a series of town hall discussions on building needs, the Sikeston R-6 Board of Education has created a no-tax-increase, $11-million bond proposal for its voters to decide during the April 4 election.
The official ballot language was approved by the R-6 Board of Education during a special session Thursday at the board office.
Proposed is a no tax increase from the district's current 21-cent levy. If approved, the bond issue will allow the district to construct, improve, furnish and equip a new elementary school building.
Sikeston R-6 Superintendent Tom Williams said input from the series of town hall meetings held October through December was used to create the proposition.
"The meetings went extremely well," Williams said. "We also sent a survey out to our folks, and we had 700 people respond to the survey. Of those, 94 percent said they agreed there are building needs in the district, and 88 percent said they would be in favor of a no tax increase."
The proposal provides students with a safer and more sufficient environment to learn, and there is also potential for future building projects within the district, the superintendent said.
The district has also applied for a $1.9 million federal safe room grant. However, it will be early February before the district learns if it is approved for the grant.
Williams said even if the grant is not received, the district will still construct a safe room in the gymnasium.
If the proposition is approved by at least 57.14 percent of voters, the building would be constructed on 8.8 acres of land donated to the district by the Scott Matthews family in 2014. The property is located on the corner Col. George E. Day Parkway and Brunt Boulevard.
"The idea is to put it so the main part of the building would be facing somewhat to the north west," Williams said, adding a bus lane would be in the back of the school and a car rider lane in the front of the building.
The new elementary building would house first through fourth grade students who live in the sending area of the current Matthews Elementary in Sikeston.
"It's in an area where traffic queueing is not an issue. This is in a part of our community that the traffic studies are very feasible," said Lori Boardman, R-6 director of business services.
The district does not have building plans yet, but the district's architect, Fleming and Associates of Memphis, Tenn., developed a proof-of-concept plan, Boardman noted.
"Our architect has looked at the shape of the land and the size of the building," Boardman said. "We know that we need a gym, a separate cafeteria/kitchen, classes to accommodate 375 to 400 students and testing areas, conference areas and special classes like music and art."
On that piece of land, there will also be ample parking for staff and parents as well as designated separate car riders and bus entry lanes, Boardman said.
"All of these things that can make day-to-day life hectic at any elementary school in Sikeston, this concept plan allows for it," Boardman said. "We don't know what the building will be made of or what the floors will be made of at this point, but we have a foot print that we know works to accommodate the number of kids we have and the classes and separate areas that we need."
To follow the building plan the district went through in its previous town hall meetings, Williams said the next phase to address building needs is to look at an elementary in the space of Lee Hunter.
"The district will go back to the public again through a series of town hall meetings to discuss a plan and get feedback," Williams said.
As for the April 4 proposition, he added, more information will be released as it becomes available.
In the meantime, he said, patrons can look to the district's Facebook page and website as well as the Standard Democrat for the latest updates with the proposal.