R-II school board tells Myers their priorities for Jeff City

John Rohlf, Staff Writer
Posted 1/4/23

Wright City R-II School Board members highlighted priorities for recently elected State Rep. Jeff Myers during the district’s board meeting earlier this month. 

Myers, who will be the …

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R-II school board tells Myers their priorities for Jeff City

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Wright City R-II School Board members highlighted priorities for recently elected State Rep. Jeff Myers during the district’s board meeting earlier this month. 

Myers, who will be the next representative for Warren County and eastern Montgomery County at the Missouri House of Representatives, received feedback from board members on their priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Board President Austin Jones wants Myers and the legislature to look at lifting a cap on the amount of money that school districts can borrow using general obligation bonds. Such bonds are a type of IOU that public entities guarantee to pay back using tax revenue. They generally have lower interest rates than other types of loans.

Jones noted the district needed to obtain an alternate type of loan, called lease-purchase certificates, to supplement the cost of new high school construction because the high school cost was more than the amount which the district could legally bond for the project.

“If that bonding capacity could be increased, then what happens is we don’t have to do a lease purchase,” Jones said. “We don’t have to worry about taking money out of operating (funds) in order to pay for capital projects.”

Jones also stressed the difference between urban and rural districts regarding transportation. If transportation is not fully funded, it impacts districts like Wright City. It can cause the district to take money out of classrooms to fund transportation, he said. 

Board member Mary Groeper urged Myers and the legislators to keep politics out of the school board election process, specifically referencing a proposal to change the election date to November. 

“We need to keep school boards bipartisan and do what’s best for kids,” Groeper said. “Not what’s best for our political parties.” 

Board member Erin Williams encouraged Myers to rely on local educators when making decisions about legislation that impacts education, instead of turning to lobbyists and other individuals in a party. 

Myers said he knows a little and is learning a lot as he prepares to take his seat in the House of Representatives. He said he believes in relying on educators and professionals with experience to decide what is best for public education. 

“I learned this lesson a long time ago. I don’t need to know everything,” Myers said. “I just need to know people who know a lot about the one thing I need to know. And so that has been my practice for years, anyhow. If I have questions, I go out and seek people that are in the industry, or that’s their area of expertise. Because they’re going to be able to provide that perspective that I might not have.”

Myers said one of his personal priorities is public safety. Myers previously worked as a state trooper and served on the executive board of the state troopers’ association. 

“That’s one of the main motivators of why I got involved in there, was to at least be a voice inside the room for my brothers and sisters that are still out walking that line tonight and every night that we get to sleep safely in our bed,” Myers said. “And I wanted to be able to make sure that I could represent their voice as somebody who actually did the job, arrested people and went through the shift work and everything that goes on.”

Wright City School District, Jeff Myers, Missouri House of Representatives

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