Springfield School Board Endorses Tax Increase
The Springfield School Board is on record in support of a tax increase on cigarettes that would raise an estimated 280 million dollars in new revenue.
Board President, Dr. Tom Prater says half that increase would be set aside for elementary and secondary education. 20 percent would be set aside for stop smoking programs. Prater says with 19 percent of high school students listing themselves as smokers, the money from Proposition B on the November ballot could be used to keep them from developing a life time habit.
Three months into the fiscal year, the board was also given an update on the budget.
The districts chief financial officer says at eight thousand dollars, Springfield has the lowest per student spending rate of any system with more than eight thousand students. It also has the lowest reserve fund of any district the same size. The only other with less is St. Louis and that system is in debt.
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