The Mehlville School District passed its first tax rate increase in almost 10 years April 4 when voters approved Proposition E with over 63% of the vote.
Proposition E, for “Ensuring high-quality teachers and support staff for Mehlville School District students,” is a 31-cent per $100 of assessed value operating levy increase that would fund competitive salaries to recruit and retain teachers, as well as staff such as bus drivers, custodians, cooks, nurses, front office staff and others.
Prop E passed with 63.63% of the vote, well above the simple majority needed to pass.
“I’m happy, thankful, grateful, appreciative. I think it’s a great thing that our community supports our employees that work with our kids every day. It will be significant for the district and our ability to attract and hopefully retain into the future,” Superintendent Chris Gaines told The Call.
Prop E is the fourth ballot measure to pass under Gaines’ leadership following the 49-cent operational tax-rate hike Prop R that passed months after he took the position in 2015, followed by 2016’s 10-cent Proposition A, a dedicated 10-year tax for replacing HVAC. History was made in 2021 when voters approved the first bond measure in the district since the 1990s, Proposition S, a 12-cent, no-tax-rate-increase $35 million bond issue that is being used to fund facility upgrades at all of Mehlville’s schools.
“We’ve been fortunate during my time in Mehlville to have a group of parents who have stepped forward to really support the school district and advocate for some of these ballot measures,” Gaines said, referring to the Mehlville-Oakville United Committee which has been influential in campaigning for several of Mehlville’s ballot measures. “I think we owe a lot of gratitude for those folks.”
Implementation of Prop E will not be as tangible as it was for things such as Prop S which had visible construction and facility work. However, Gaines said that the implementation of Prop E will get underway when the board sets salaries this month, although it depends on what type of pay cycle staff is on for them to start seeing any changes.
Gaines, who is set to retire from superintendent in August, is thankful that the district has seen so much community support over his eight-year tenure, however he cautions that there is still work to be done.
“There remain challenges ahead, especially in the area of facilities,” Gaines said. “We’ve been able to start making some inroads there but there is so much work to be done and I just hope the community continues to support the district
