Ladue Schools Say "Vote No on Prop 1 Committee" Distorts the Facts

Patch tried to reach representatives of the Vote No on Prop 1 Committee that is campaigning against a 49-cent increase in the operating tax levy for the Ladue School District. Our goal: To fact-check some of the claims in mailings and on the committee's website at TakeBackLadueSchools.com.

The tax levy vote is slated for April 3 in the Ladue School District. Those who represent the Vote No on Prop 1 could not be reached to respond.

Numerous calls to the Take Back the Ladue Schools hotline for the Vote No on Prop 1 commitee went unanswered. Written requests for information on the site also went unanswered. People who answered the phones at the committee headquarters could not refer Patch to anyone who would respond to our calls.

The Ladue School District has dedicated an entire website to spell out what will happen if or not Prop 1 passes or fails. The site debunks many of the misconceptions that continue to float around.

Here are some examples:

Statement by No on Prop 1: Ladue’s enrollment has declined.

Fact: Ladue’s enrollment has increased steadily the past 10 years going from 3,000 to nearly 4,000. The reason: the downturn in economy has forced many students to leave area private schools for their home Ladue district. Olivette alone has added some 250 newly-constructed homes, and with that often comes young families with school-aged children.

Ladue's enrollment has grown from 3,271 in 2002 to 3,915 in 2011. That increase is 23 percent since 2003. Information sited by the Department of Elementary & Secondary website and by a spread sheet provided by the Ladue School District showing enrollment figures in detail from 2003 to present.

Statement by No on Prop 1: Ladue is operating with some empty classrooms.

Fact: There is not a single empty classroom in the entire district. Classes are filled to capacity and beyond. The "No" folks say the replaced Early Childhood Center on Clayton Road and the still-to-be-used West Campus (Westminster Christian Building) represents unused classroom space.

Statement by No on Prop 1: The district has failed to respond to the economic downturn.

Fact: As the economy has stalled, Ladue has eliminated teaching and administrative positions; done away with summer camp, cut back on programs and enacted hundreds of cost cutting measures.

Ladue has cut $7.6 million from its operating budget the past four years. The information is on the district's website.

The district is not a money-making business, so a 9 percent drop in revenue is quite painful.

Statement by No on Prop 1: Ladue spends $20,000 per pupil for education.

Fact: Simply not true. The 2011 reported per pupil expenditure in Ladue is $12,992.41. Clayton is $18,065.88 and Brentwood is $17,342.06. University City is $12,574.57.

Statement by No on Prop 1: Ladue is top heavy with administrators.

Fact: Ladue has a similar number of administrators as other school districts of similar size in the area. No more, no less than other districts their size.

Statement by No on Prop 1: Ladue has $126 million in debt.

Fact: An audit of the district puts the figure at $80 million--a misstatement of a mere $46 million. The "No" commitee wants to calculate in interest with principle in order to inflate that figure to $120 million.