Prop 2 key to success: South Side votes
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The success of a ballot measure that would build a new high school in St. Joseph may come down to voters who live in the area where it will be built.
The St. Joseph School District is asking for approval of a 60-cent tax levy for a new $157 million high school to be built south of Highway 36. Proposition 2 is on the April 8 ballot.
The district has had a few bond issues appear on ballots in the last five years. St. Joseph voters have only voted down one, the Proposition C.A.R.E. measure in 2021.
More than 8,300 voters said no to Prop C.A.R.E., which, like Prop 2, aimed to build a new St. Joseph high school along with upgrading existing facilities.
Just four years later, district officials, armed with a long-range plan, are hoping for a different result. And key to Prop 2's success or failure will be South Side voters.
SJSD officials said building the first new school on the south side of town would offer growth.
"If there's a new school, it's opportunity, you know, for lots of new growth," said LaTonya Williams, SJSD School Board president. "By the board choosing in order to build in their area of town, it means that we appreciate you and we truly value the importance of the South Side."
The growth is something Rupp Funeral Home owner J.L. Robertson said would be beneficial.
"You put a new high school in the South Side, south of 36," Robertson said. "It will be better for our schools, it will be better for your students, it will be better for our parents, it will be better for business."
However, the measure faces steep opposition in the South Side, as a new high school would lead to the closure of Benton, which many living there have generational ties to. School board officials have said Benton will cease to be a high school going forward whether the measure passes or fails and will become a middle school instead. Central and Lafayette, which have have more space, would become the city's only public high schools if Prop 2 fails.
Mike Moore, the school board's vice president, said the hope is residents will see the value the new school will bring for their children.
"What I would say to the South Side is, look, you're not only getting the first new high school relatively quickly, it's state of the art," Moore said. "And Benton doesn't cease to exist. Benton will make a fine middle school."
Robertson said the new high school would not only be good for business, but also would bring more families to St. Joseph.
"For progressing St. Joseph, we need to have young families here, and it's not growing," he said.
Campaign leaders ask that voters do their homework to make an informed decision when heading to the ballot box.
"What I would mention to voters is to truly educate yourself on the facts. Don't just listen to your neighbor or like, a friend, or just go online and look," Williams said. "All the information is on the website. The cost of the new school … everything is known except an exact location."
For Roberston, he feels the campaign should clarify how Prop 2's 60-cent levy would affect taxpayers in different ways.
"How that's going to affect each individual. Are your taxes going up? I don't know that. Are the taxes going down? What happens to the tax base in 2032 if we don't pass this?" he said .
However, Robertson said it's important to weigh out the pros and cons of the situation.
"I understand nostalgia, I understand feelings and I applaud that and respect that, but we must move forward," said Robertson.
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