By Derek Spellman

dspellman@joplinglobe.com

NEOSHO, Mo. — Members of the Neosho R-5 Board of Education voted Monday night to seek a November election on a proposed $16 million bond issue they say is needed to alleviate overcrowding.

Board members had been debating whether to seek an August election on the proposal, which calls for construction of a fifth- and sixth-grade building and for renovations to the existing high school. They ultimately opted for November so the district could have more time to complete details about the site and transportation. The deadline for submitting an issue for the August ballot is May 27.

“We agreed August would be too soon to run a strong bond issue,” said Bruce Mahr, board president.

Superintendent Richard Page said the district is still weighing whether to construct the new building on land the district owns adjacent to Neosho Middle School or on land it owns behind the recently opened George Washington Carver Elementary School.

The project architects are analyzing whether the building could be erected on the 15 to 20 acres available at the middle school or if the district would need to acquire an additional five acres, school officials said. The site near the Carver school has about 45 acres available, but the district might need to secure an easement to help with traffic flow there.

Page said officials hope to have those questions about both sites answered within the next month so the board can decide between the two.

The district also hopes to have more information about what Neosho’s transportation district and/or the city have planned for the access roads at the two sites and, if so, a timeline for that work.

Page said the board has until late August to approve the official ballot language.

Tentative plans call for construction of a 100,000-square-foot building to house grades five and six.

The district would relocate grade eight from the junior high to the middle school, which then would house grades seven and eight. The junior-high building is part of a complex that includes the high school at 511 Neosho Blvd. The middle school now houses grades five through seven.

The proposed high-school work includes renovations to the fine-arts wing and construction of a new athletic field house.

The $16 million bond issue likely would translate into an increase of between 34 and 36 cents in the district’s debt-service levy.

If the measure is passed, the district’s total levy ceiling would rise to between $3.45 and $3.47 per $100 of assessed valuation, and property taxes on a $100,000 house would increase by $64.60 to $68.40 per year. That property owner now pays $590.90 in annual school taxes based on a total levy of $3.11 per $100 of assessed valuation.