The Salem News received the following press release Jan. 3, 2024.
The Salem R-80 School District is reaching out to the community to seek support for a crucial bond issue and operating levy increase, both of which will be included on the April 2, 2024 ballot.
Bond:
Having successfully completed most projects in our existing long-term facilities plan, our focus now lies on the replacement of William Lynch Elementary School (“WL”). A comprehensive facilities analysis conducted by McKinstry and presented to the Board of Education in 2019 highlighted the pressing need for this replacement. At that time, it was estimated that the lifespan of WL was less than ten years, and the required improvements for its continued operation were deemed unsustainable in the long run. The analysis concluded, “Facility appears to be structurally unsound, contains numerous safety hazards, and could not be upgraded without significant additional expenses to remedy code violations.” The approximate replacement cost for WL stands at $16 million, with an estimated cost of $375-400/sq. ft for new construction. This would cause the District to reach its maximum bonding capacity of $9.5 million, while still dependent on a FEMA grant. However, a silver lining emerged as the District has secured a 90/10 FEMA grant, where FEMA paid 90% of the cost of the storm shelter shell, enabling us to save approximately $4 million in construction costs to build a wing at the Upper Elementary (“UE”) that will house approximately 8 classrooms. Additionally, the future acquisition of the Gott building currently owned by SBU for $750,000, priced significantly lower than new construction at $50/sq. ft, further aids our efforts to find a cost effective replacement for WL. Leveraging the FEMA addition at the UE and the Gott building, we will relocate PreK and Kindergarten to the Gott building, and first grade to the UE, all at a fraction of the expense of constructing an entirely new building. Once the students are relocated from WL, likely in the 2025-2026 school year, the District plans to put the building up for sale in hopes that it can be utilized in a way that benefits the community.
The District has successfully completed various facilities improvement measures outlined in the 2019 plan, including HVAC upgrades, electrical enhancements, envelope improvements, roof repairs, new gym flooring, a new weight training/practice facility, and the construction trades building shell. Future capital projects include the District's portion of the FEMA building, renovations at the Gott building to tailor it for an early childhood center, completion of the interior for the construction trades building,
structural repairs to the AG building, and several smaller projects aimed at facility repairs.
Operating Levy:
Presently, the district operates at the state minimum of $2.75 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation for its operating levy. In the 518 districts statewide, we are among the mere 66 operating at this minimum threshold. Our base teacher salary stands at $32,000, but we manage to compensate teachers no less than $38,000, thanks to temporary state funding. Comparative analysis with neighboring schools showcases that Salem R-80 falls behind in teacher compensation—Rolla ($40,086), St. James ($38,500), Dent Phelps R-3 ($36,649), Northwood R-4 ($35,750), Green Forest R-2 ($35,000), Mountain Grove ($35,000), Licking ($33,000), and Steelville ($33,000). Importantly, all these districts exhibit a per-pupil expenditure exceeding $10,000, whereas ours remains at $9,798. Moreover, the Assessed Valuation per pupil in these districts ranges from $75 to $131, while Salem stands at $75.
Over the past three years, Salem R-80 has elevated district support staff base salaries by nearly 20%, raising them from $8.86/hour to $10.87/hour. Despite this progress, our rates still fall $1.13 below the minimum wage.
To provide our students with an exceptional education that prepares them for success after graduation, we must have the best teachers available. With funding from the increased operating levy, the District will offer more competitive pay and benefits, improving our ability to recruit and retain high-quality teachers and staff.
We look forward to providing additional information regarding the District’s needs in the upcoming weeks.