BE OUR GUEST

Mary Kasten represents the city of Cape Girardeau in the General Assembly. Before her election to the Missouri House of Representative, she served many years on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education.

Life has many choices some with long lasting effects. As taxpayers you will be asked to vote for or against Proposition B on Nov. 5. I voted to give you the opportunity to make this choice. As you consider your choice, keep in mind that this home of ours is what I call, "Captivating Cape Girardeau." It is the center of medical, retail, transportation and education of our entire region. Most of us have chosen this area because of the quality of life. What creates a quality of life is economic opportunity/jobs, cultural and educational environments. We are all interested in a sound economic base with job opportunities. What brings jobs to our community is the quality of life and a good educational system is one of the foundations of that economic vitality.

"In the new economic order the countries that invest most in education will be the most competitive" Megatrends 2000.

We as Missourians have prided ourselves on being a low tax state, and compared to many others this is very true. For example, we are the second lowest state on corporate income tax.

Please consider the following points when deciding on your vote:

Making education more accountable:

Revenues raised by Proposition B will be deposited in special trusts and used only for designated educational purposes, unlike the lottery, which goes into general revenue.

Both elementary and secondary schools will report annually to local taxpayers on the school's academic progress.

All schools, universities and colleges will be required to make reforms before receiving additional funding.

Providing better educational services:

A "back to basics" guarantee will be required to ensure that high school graduates have mastered basic skills. High schools will be required to account for dropouts.

Twice as many families will be able to participate in the internationally acclaimed Parents as Teachers program.

Small class teacher/pupil ratio will ensure that students learn the basic skills in the early years before progressing through the elementary grades.

Expansion of vocational educational programs:

Aid for disabled and disadvantaged students will be increased.

Improving higher education:

Unnecessary programs and degrees will be eliminated to help colleges and universities meet the needs of higher education students.

Services of community colleges will be expanded.

Financial aid for students will be increased through loans, grants and scholarships.

Dollars received from Proposition B cannot be spent on administration or athletic expenses.

The cost:

Tax reforms include providing family tax relief by doubling the dependent deduction from $400 to $800.

Revenue will be raised from: limiting federal taxes that upper income taxpayers may deduct from state tax; continuing the 1.5 percent income tax surcharge on larger corporations; and increasing cigarette and tobacco product taxes for the first time since 1982.

A vote for Proposition B will add additional funding to help teachers do a better job. But more importantly, a vote for Proposition B will enable our school-age children to have the type of education needed to compete and succeed.

These are just a few of the highlights of Proposition B. I encourage you to become familiar with this proposal as the election nears. Cape Girardeau should take this opportunity to invest in itself.