Jasper officials plan to discuss failed bond issue at next meeting

November 15, 2008 05:19 pm

— By Dustin Shipman
dshipman@joplinglobe.com
JASPER, Mo. — The Jasper R-5 Board of Education will regroup to discuss its next step after a school bond was voted down on Nov. 4 for the third time.
The board had asked voters to approve a $4.7 million bond to build new high-school classrooms, a gymnasium and a cafeteria.
Kathy Fall, superintendent of the Jasper R-5 district, said the issue remains up in the air at the moment, but it will be a topic of discussion when the board meets on Thursday.
“I am assuming that the board will decide something then, but they don’t actually have to come to a decision to get anything on the next ballot until the December meeting,” Fall said. “Every time we have received over 50 percent of the vote but not the 57 percent we need to pass it.”
Missouri law requires a four-sevenths majority for a bond issue to pass.
The Nov. 4 vote was 819 to 752.
Fall said the next possible date for the school bond to appear on the ballot is April.
Tim Atnip, president of the Jasper R-5 School Board, said that like a lot of the people in the community, he was disappointed.
“I don’t think we really know what the next step is. Fifty-three percent of the people were for it, but then again, 47 percent were not for it, so we can present it and beg and plead with them but we can’t make them vote for it,” Atnip said.
“It is very frustrating. We put a lot of effort in this and we are very passionate about our plan. It’s the best plan that has ever been presented to Jasper patrons. We are going to have to discuss it and try to get us a plan of action ... We are almost at our wit’s end. We have some real issues but once again our patrons said they didn’t want it.”
The next board meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Jasper High School.

By the numbers
Jasper’s recent $4.7 million bond issue called for a levy increase of almost $1, from $3.21 per $100 of assessed valuation to a maximum of $4.19. The annual school tax for a home with a $100,000 market value would have increased about $186, from $609.90, district officials have said.