Warren County R-III district administrators, board members and residents of the community provided feedback last week on how the district could utilize $22.5 million in future funds from a no-tax-increase bond issue. The R-III School Board held a forum on the topic on Sept. 22.

District Superintendent Gregg Klinginsmith said the district could have $22.5 million available by passing a no-tax-increase bond issue in the April 2024 election. He noted this number could increase if the assessed value of property within the district increases.

A bond issue is a type of loan that the district promises to repay using tax revenue. The district anticipates that the bond would not require a tax increase thanks to new revenue from property developments, and because of previous debt being paid down.

With space issues at the Warren County R-III district elementary schools, Klinginsmith suggested the district consider moving Daniel Boone Elementary School to a property on North Highway 47. The district already owns 29 acres of land in the area. The current Daniel Boone building would be converted to space for early childhood classrooms.

“We’d have more early childhood space,” Klinginsmith said. “Utilize that. And then we’d just build a bigger elementary school that could hold 200 or so more kids than we currently could. And then we could move all the early childhood out of all the other buildings, freeing up those classroom spaces.” 

The three district elementary schools only have a total of six available classrooms that could be used for additional students. One classroom in each building which is currently being used for the Youth in Need program, trimming the available classrooms to two at Daniel Boone, one at Rebecca Boone and no available classrooms at Warrior Ridge. 

Warrenton High School could hold an additional 298 students, Klinginsmith said, while the middle school could hold 371 more students. 

Klinginsmith noted the district has seen a slight increase in enrollment the past five school years. The district’s enrollment is currently 3,073, a 45 student increase from the 2018-2019 school year. The district’s highest enrollment grades are eighth grade through 12th grade.

Klinginsmith stressed the number of new housing units going up in the district, with 911 new houses or apartments planned for the next few years. Klinginsmith projects that this will lead to 400 to 600 new students in the district. 

“Apartments are hard to tell how many kids are going to be there,” Klinginsmith said. “Because a lot of times they’re younger people or older people. … But we do get some kids from those apartments for sure.”

The district also has other potential uses for bond funds. There are multiple areas of need in the district, including Pre-K service expansion, building and parking improvements and a potential to build tennis courts or a swimming pool. 

Feedback from community members included input that the district is already behind schedule on educating for a potential no tax increase bond issue, and that there is a  need to fix current district building needs. 

Community member John Cornell noted the district’s past difficulty with getting citizen approval for bond issues. With the urgency of what the district will face in the near future, he believes they are months behind in getting the message out to the public, even with a timeline of several years.  

“It’s going to take more than a six month, an eight month or 12-month sprint to convince and educate them,” Cornell said. “I don’t think you can educate them on the crunch that you’re going to have, space-wise, too early.”

Klinginsmith believes the district should have a firm plan on how to use the available funds for a no tax increase bond by spring break of this school year. Once the district has a firm plan of how to proceed, they will need to form a campaign committee to educate the community on the project. 

No official action was taken about what to include in a potential no tax increase bond proposal. The district will focus on expanding Pre-K services, preparing for growth and fixing current facilities.