Voters Pass Prop E
Prop E has passed allowing the Wentzville School District to move forward with additions
The location purchased by the Wentzville School District in relation to it’s surroundings.
A $125 million no-tax-increase bond issue passed on the April 3 ballot. The bond issue, “Proposition E” passed with with an overwhelming 71.54 percent (5,584 votes) of the votes. More than 57.14% was needed to pass the measure.
Another race on the ballot was for two Board of Education positions. Principal of Harvest Ridge Elementary, Natalie DeWeese, and Brad Buchanan received the most votes for the seats.
Wentzville continues to be one of the fastest growing school districts in Missouri. This includes an addition of 1,000 students to the in the past two years, reaching a total of 16,380 students in grades K-12. The district is currently the 11th largest school district in Missouri.
Due to rapid development of the Wentzville School District, efforts are being made to manage the growth.
Prop E will increase funding for local schools by raising the Education Fund tax rate; which hasn’t been raised since 1977.
Included in this bond issue is a new high school and elementary school, classroom additions at Barfield Early Childhood Special Education Center, Peine Ridge Elementary and Pearce Hall. This will also incorporate a new gymnasium at Holt High School. The high school would be set to open in fall 2021.
In Missouri, non-metropolitan school districts are required to ask voter approval for the following: purchasing sites for new buildings, construction of new buildings, repairs of facilities, purchasing transportation and paying off bond obligations.
According to Executive Director of Facilities, John Blanton, a new high school will take around three years to build.
To accommodate for the addition of new school(s), the district purchased 108.9 acres of land on the northeast corner of W. Meyer Road and N. Point Prairie in Wentzville. The district entered into an agreement on June 28, 2017.
Construction of a new school has not began. However, the location has been chosen.
The cost of the property was $3,906,473 and is being funded with proceeds from Prop E from April 2015; the appraised value of the land being $4,357,659.
Two new elementary schools were opened as a part of the K-6 Plan for Growth. The program was put in place to help relieve overcrowding in the middle schools, without a tax increase.
“Our K-6 plan addressed our space issues at our middle schools for the first time without a tax increase and provided us time to pay down our debt so that our next buildings could also be built without asking the voters to approve the tax increase,” superintendent Dr. Cain said in a district press release. “We are working to effectively manage our continued growth… It is certainly a challenge, but it’s one we are familiar with and we are fortunate to have an amazing team committed to moving this great district forward and providing adequate space for all students to learn and grow.”
The district will keep working to accommodate students as the population in the area continues to grow.