Southern Boone R-1 district patrons will see two ballot issues on Tuesday

Voters in the fast-growing Southern Boone R-1 school district in Ashland will cast ballots Tuesday on two ballot measures.

Enrollment has jumped from about 1,500 a decade ago to about 2,000 students today. District patrons will cast ballots tomorrow on an $11.6 million no tax increase bond issue that would fund improvements at the high school and on a 20-cent levy transfer. Southern Boone Superintendent Dr. Tim Roth says there are currently about 525 students at the high school. Dr. Roth has told 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” that he expects that number to increase to 675 to 700 students in the next decade.

Dr. Roth says the bond issue would provide additional space at the high school to accommodate the larger class sizes coming up through the middle school. It would also replace the original roof at the high school building, which was built in 1991. Passage requires a four-sevenths majority.

The separate 20-cent levy transfer requires a simple majority. Southern Boone R-1 says question number two, which does not raise the current tax rate, is aimed at helping the district’s ability to attract and retain high-quality educators by increasing salaries for teachers and staff.