Taxpayers in the Cape Girardeau School District will pay $3.38 per $100 assessed valuation for school taxes this year.

The Board of Education set the rate at a special meeting Thursday.

The tax rate reflects increases from two measures voters approved in April and is a 50-cent increase from the tax levied last year.

Voters in April approved a 39-cent tax increase by waiving the Proposition C rollback. In addition, they approved a $14 million bond issue. The estimated tax rate to repay those bonds was 30 cents.

At the time, school officials explained that some years repaying the bonds would cost a little more than 30 cents and some years a little less. On years when debt payments require more than 30 cents, the school board promised to reduce the amount of the Proposition C levy.

That is what the board did this year. Payments on the debt will require a 34-cent tax levy, so the school board took a voluntary 4-cent rollback in the general fund.

Money generated through the increased tax is being used to construct a vocational-technical school, an elementary school, an addition to Jefferson Elementary School and to renovate other school buildings.

Soil samples are being taken this week at the site of the elementary school at Sprigg at Bertling. Groundbreaking could take place as soon as September.