Altenburg district seeks $2.4 million bond issue for new school

EDITOR'S NOTE: A dollar figure relating to the school's fund balances has been corrected.

The Altenburg School District, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school of about 160 students, is split among four buildings. The district administrator said he hopes to change that with a $2.4 million bond issue.

"I think we all know the best situation is when you can keep your kids under one roof," said superintendent Bleau Deckerd.

The district will be one of two area school districts approaching voters with a bond issue during the April 6 election. The Cape Girardeau School District is also proposing a $40 million bond issue.

In Altenburg, one of the main district buildings, constructed in 1911, houses a science lab and first grade. A nearby modular unit and two other buildings along Main Street house the cafeteria, gym and other grades.

The current facilities require students to walk outside to go to the cafeteria or office. There is also little insulation in the older building and modular unit, Deckerd said.

"It's not energy-efficient, but also it allows distractions to come in," he said.

The bond issue comes on the heels of an April 2007 tax increase. After voter approval, the district raised the tax levy by 36 cents per $100 assessed valuation to reach the $3.34 threshold, which allows for more state aid, Deckerd said.

The 2007 tax increase also helped the district financially prepare for bigger classes, he said. An increase in enrollment meant the district would have to pay more tuition for high school students, who attend Jackson, Oak Ridge and Perry County school districts.

The increase helped lay the foundation for a construction project. While a building fund was not set up, the district's fund balance increased by $141,000 during a three-year period, Deckerd said.

Earlier this month, the district spent $45,565 to buy 7.67 acres of land along Route C near the district preschool.

Other community preparations began last spring with 10-member committee. The group and school board reviewed options for renovating the current facilities but decided to move forward with a new building, Deckerd said.

"We toured lots of buildings to get ideas," he said.

The issue faces some opposition among voters. Questions about the bond issue arose when an anonymous mailing went out a couple of weeks ago to district residents opposing the issue, Deckerd said.

Angel Oberndorfer, a member of the community committee, said the biggest concern for residents is the tax increase, 83 cents per $100 assessed valuation in the debt service fund.

"Nobody wants to pay more taxes, and I think that is in the forefront for everybody," said Oberndorfer, also the vice president of the Peoples Bank of Altenburg. The issue will need a 57 percent majority to pass.

"Everybody's struggling, but in the big picture of it, a lot of us realize this is progress," she said. Because material prices are low and contractors are looking for work, it will be cheaper to build now, she said.

Another kindergarten-through-eight-grade district had been considering a bond issue for the April election. In September, the Kelso School District surveyed residents and started to move toward a measure to fund a new school. The district will hold off until at least August as it re-evaluates its building plan, said superintendent Bill Rogers.

"We're not ready to go forward yet," he said.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

8432 Main St. Altenburg, MO