Voters in the fast-growing Southern Boone R-1 school district in Ashland will be casting ballots on two issues in April: an $11.6 million no tax increase bond issue and a 20-cent levy transfer.
Southern Boone R-1’s K-12 enrollment has increased from about 1,500 ten years ago to about 2,000 students today. Southern Boone Superintendent Dr. Tim Roth has told 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that the bond issue would provide improved and safer educational space for VoAg and Arts by connecting directly to the Ashland high school. The district says the bond issue would fund a new Vo-Ag wing that would include two classrooms, lab space and a shop. It would also fund two new art classrooms and would replace the 32-year-old roof on the original high school building.
Dr. Roth says there are currently about 525 students at the high school. Dr. Roth has told 939 the Eagle that he expects that number to increase to 675 to 700 students in the next seven to ten years. The bond issue would provide additional space at the high school to accommodate the larger class sizes coming up through the middle school.
Bond issue passage requires a four-sevenths majority. The levy transfer ballot measure requires a simple majority. The 20-cent levy transfer is question number two, which does NOT raise the current tax rate. The district says it’s aimed at helping the district’s ability to attract and retain high-quality educators by increasing salaries for teachers and staff.
