On Tuesday voters in the Ladue School District approved Proposition 1, a ballot initiative adding 49 cents to the district’s operating tax levy, bringing it to $3.24.

The initiative was passed with 52.77 percent voter approval and with a higher voter turnout than the district has experienced for any ballot initiative in at least 10 years.  

The district’s request came after district property tax revenue dropped 8 percent over the last five years, during which time the district made over $7 million in expenditure reductions.

The approval of Proposition 1 will allow the district to forego $2.1 million in additional expenditure reductions for the 2012-13 school year.  These reductions would have included the elimination of 17 positions, including teachers, administrators and support staff.  In order to reallocate resources closer to the classroom, some of the reductions, including those for certain administrative positions, will still be made.

However, teaching positions will no longer need to be eliminated and class sizes will remain at current levels.

“We are very appreciative of the community’s support,” states Superintendent Dr. Marsha Chappelow.  “We understood we were asking for additional resources during financially difficult times for many.

However, we also knew our educational programming, as well as our staffing, was going to be impacted significantly by further reductions.  It was time for the community to weigh in.”

With the assumption property assessments will remain flat for the next four years, the district anticipates the operating tax increase will allow the district to maintain financial stability through the next two reassessment cycles (until 2017), at which point the economy may have begun to rebound. 

“The impact of Prop 1 on property taxes will be more restorative than additive for most people,” explains Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Dr. Jason Buckner.   “It will establish a higher tax rate.

However, with the decrease in property value experienced by many people, operating taxes paid to the Ladue School District may not be any higher with the $.49 added by Prop 1 than prior to the economic downturn when property values were higher and the tax rate was lower.”

Glantz and Goldstein Elected to Board of Education

Sheri Glantz and Nancy Leve Goldstein won seats on the Board of Education in Tuesday's election. This will be Glantz's third three-year term on the Board and Goldstein's first. The unofficial, uncertified final results of the April 3 election are shown below.  Glantz and Goldstein will be sworn-in on April 9.