Proposition R.E.A.D.

Proposition READ: Reinvesting in Education, Academics, and Dedication
The St. Joseph School District's Board of Education approved a recommendation, during a meeting on April 27, to move forward with an August 2022 ballot initiative.

The Board unanimously approved, during the special meeting, ballot language to extend the 61-cent levy with a six-year sunset clause. This is NOT a tax increase, but a renewal of the levy passed under Proposition 2 in April 2019. 

The levy, if passed, would continue to generate approximately $7 million dollars annually for the district for an additional 5 years through the 2028-29 school year. 

The 61-cent levy funds:

• Teachers & Staff, increased salaries, and the hiring of additional support staff
• Building Expansion and Improvements, upgrades to heating and cooling
• Operational Costs, additional projects that are in addition to scheduled preventative maintenance for buildings and equipment included in the regular operating budget

With the extension of the levy, the district will be able to increase staff salaries through step and lane movement as well as a $500 increase to the base on salary schedules. The district will also hire 6 to 9 extra support staff members each year for high-need classrooms to address disciplinary issues. Due to increased costs, the levy will also provide needed funding to complete HVAC upgrades. Additionally, the district plans to start a pilot program at Pershing and Pickett to provide needed sidewalks to elementary schools. 

Previously funded by the 61-cent levy:

• Staff salary increases in 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23
• 9 additional teachers hired to lower class sizes
• 2 school psychologists hired
• 4 additional school safety officers (SROs) hired
• Secure entrances added to Bode, Coleman, Edison, Ellison, Eugene Field, Hosea, Hyde, Lindbergh, Mark Twain, Parkway, Pickett, Robidoux, Skaith, Spring Garden and Truman
• Higher resolution cameras installed throughout the district
• VOIP phone system installed, providing a phone in every classroom
• Deferred maintenance completed throughout the district (ex. asphalt, concrete, tuckpointing, windows, roofs) 

See more information regarding Proposition 2 progress here. 

$.61 = $6,975,126.79
estimated tax revenue was based on the most recent Assessed Valuation, that valuation can change yearly

Absentee Voting

Voter Registration Guide

Ballot Language

NO TAX INCREASE - PROPOSITION READ

Shall the Board of Education of the School District of St. Joseph be authorized to continue the existing temporary operating tax levy of $0.6100 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation, which is currently scheduled to expire in Tax Year 2023, through Tax Year 2029 for the purposes of operating and staffing school facilities and programs? If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating tax levy of the District is estimated to continue unchanged at $3.8668 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation through Tax Year 2029 and estimated to be $3.2568 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation thereafter. 

Sample ballots can be found on the County Clerk's webpage here. 

Elections and Electioneering Guidelines

There is one overarching rule that applies to school districts (& most other public entities)—the District is prohibited from using any public funds to advocate, support, or oppose any ballot measure or candidate. See § 115.646, RSMo. There are two important things to remember:
(1) “public funds” encompass pretty much any District resource you can think of, including but not limited to: direct funds, facilities, telephones, fax machines, computers, copiers, personnel, emails, social media sites, websites, etc.; and
(2) factual information can be provided but it cannot not be biased in support of the bond issue.

Here are some general guidelines to follow:

What is allowed?

•  The District can use a reasonable amount of funding to provide objective information to inform voters, like issuing press releases that provide neutral and factual information to the public. Of course, any such “press release” should be labeled as a press release and provided to the media.  
• The District can provide the public factual information about the Bond measure, such as how the money will be spent.
• District staff can advocate for the bond measure on their own personal time with their own private resources. For example, it’s okay to place a yard sign in your own yard or sticker on your own vehicle, advocating for the Bond measure, or make a donation from personal funds to campaign committees.
• District staff can speak with family, friends, neighbors, and other voters concerning the Bond measure as long as no District resources are used. For example, a staff member could post on social media supporting the bond issue, but not from a computer issued by the District.
• The District can use email, texting services, or signs to remind patrons when the election will occur and encouraging the public to vote, but cannot encourage the public to vote a specific way.
• The District can work with PTA, booster clubs, and other education groups to communicate your opinions regarding the Bond measure to parents and others in the community.

What is not allowed?

• The District staff cannot advocate in support of the Bond measure while “on-the-clock” or using District resources (i.e. on District property, using District letterhead, on District webpages, etc.).
  • The restriction on staff advocating while “on-the-clock” is somewhat relaxed for superintendents and administrators who do not have set work schedules, as long as they’re using their own personal resources and not District resources for advocacy (e.g. cell phone, computer, and email). For example, an administrator may want to call the steering committee who is promoting the “VOTE YES” campaign to discuss logistics. They could do this while “on-the-clock,” but they’d want to do so from their own personal cell phone since District resources cannot be used. Also, they’d want to be cautious to not create the impression that they’re being paid by the District to campaign.
• The District cannot post campaign posters or yard signs on District property, except on election day at school sites that are also serving as polling places, signs are permitted if they meet the rules provided by the election bureau. They must be removed after the polls close on election day.
• The District cannot make materials advocating for passage of the Bond measure available to visitors, patrons, or students (like distributing yard signs or handing out promotional [as opposed to merely informational] flyers).