HERMANN — Voters in the Gasconade County R-1 School District could be asked possibly in April to approve a tax levy increase and a bond issue, according to the district’s top administrator.

Superintendent Geoff Neill last week told the Hermann Regional Economic Development (HRED) Corporation that he would be going to the R-1 Board of Directors “to go out for a no-tax increase bond issue and levy increase” this school year.

The decision to seek a vote on a tax hike and bond issue would come as the district deals with essentially no growth in local property values, which determines the amount of local tax money for a school district. Neill, one of R-1’s two representatives on the HRED board, noted during the panel’s regular monthly session on Aug. 1 that financing of public school districts has shifted in recent years from mostly state money to mostly local money — about 60 to 70 percent of operating funds now comes from local revenue, a reversal that has taken place in a relatively short period of time.

The prospect of seeking a bond issue, a levy increase, or both was raised several months ago during an R-1 board meeting with the district’s bond counsel, LJ Hart. It was suggested by the funding firm that, because of the district’s strong financial position, policymakers might want to consider going to the voters to extend R-1’s bond amount to finance capital projects on the campus — roof work, parking lots and so forth — which could be done without adding to the debt service tax.

A bond-and-levy proposal has yet to be fleshed out by district officials, but Gasconade County Clerk Lesa Lietzow says any vote would be mostly likely at the April 2024 General Municipal Election balloting, which will include the regularly scheduled vote on school board members. By putting a bond or levy proposal on that ballot, the district would not face an additional expense because it would already have an item (board candidates, possibly) on that ballot.

District voters in the last half dozen years approved a 50-cent levy increase. Then-Superintendent Tracy Hankins won board approval to ask for 50 cents even though district officials acknowledged that a $1 increase actually was needed to meet the district’s expected expenses.

However, district officials felt voters would be reluctant to approve $1, so they asked for half that amount, conceding at the time that another levy increase might be forthcoming in a few years.

Meanwhile, Neill said the district is moving forward with plans to establish a Career Center to prepare students for the vitaculture and hospitality industries. He said there is one student planning on taking a vitaculture class that is being developed as part of the upcoming school year’s curriculum in the Agriculture Department. That course also could include an internship through the district’s flex program in which the student would work in the vitaculture industry to get first-hand experience to go along with classroom instruction.

Neill’s vision is to have the Career Center located possibly on the R-1 campus eventually managed and operated by possibly University of Missouri Extension or some other higher education facility. Talks are ongoing regarding potential funding for the development of a Career Center, the superintendent said.

As for projected enrollment for the new school year that begins Tuesday, Aug. 22, Neill said the numbers continue the slide that began a decade or more ago.

“Right now, the only thing driving our (student) population is our hiring,” the superintendent said. “We’re hiring teachers who have kids,” he said.

A move by the R-1 Bearcat Booster Club to stop having students sell discount cards could be a good thing for HRED, one director said. The Booster Club is taking its fund-raising effort in another direction after having difficulty in convincing students to sell the discount clip cards, which offered price breaks from local merchants on a variety of products.

HRED Vice President Raylene Hollrah sees this move as an opportunity for the organizations to raise some badly needed dollars.

“It could be a great funding mechanism for HRED without a lot of cost,” Hollrah said. “We’re going to jump on this,” she said.

Hollrah suggested the city could make the discount cards available at the Welcome Center located in the Amtrak Station. “Push the cards to visitors,” she suggested to city government’s representatives on the HRED board.

“We’d need to talk about that,” replied Hermann Tourism & Economic Director Tammy Bruckerhoff.

The next meeting for the HRED board is set for Tuesday, Sept. 5, in the R-1 Administration Building.