R-IV Voters Approve Proposition 3, Elect Three Board Members

A margin of 139 votes was the difference between victory and defeat for Proposition 3 Tuesday night.

According to unofficial results from the St. Charles County Election Authority, voters in the  approved Prop 3 with 5,638 Yes votes to 5,499 No votes, or 50.62 percent to 49.38 percent. 

Proposition 3 is a 30-cent tax levy that will be used to construct additional classroom space. The levy will raise an estimated $60 million for the construction of new facilities.

"We owe a big thank you to the members of the committee," Dr. Terry Adams, Wentzville R-IV superintendent, said. "People listened. Student achievement is our No. 1 concern—now we'll have the physical facilities to see to that. We needed this. Thank you."

The Prop 3 initiative first appeared on the . In the November election, it failed by a margin of 1,054 votes—12,318 No votes to 11,264 Yes votes, according to the St. Charles Election Commission. 

According to Matt Deichmann, the district's director of community relations, the difference in the two elections was involvement. He noted the support of teachers and parents especially.

"What happened the second time was the involvement and engagement of our parents in the district," he said. "It's a fairly simple equation: We are the fastest growing school district in the state. We need the space to educate our students."

Officials have told the community that the district is growing by leaps and bounds and current facilities at the middle school and high school level won't be able to contain the number of children in the primary grades. 

"We've had 121-percent growth between 2000 and 2010," Adams said in community presentations. "We are the fastest growing district in the state."

The Wentzville R-IV School District covers all or part of the cities of Wentzville, Lake Saint Louis, O'Fallon, Foristell and Dardenne Prairie. All five areas saw population explosions throughout the past 10 years. 

There are nearly 13,000 students enrolled in Wentzville schools, and according to Adams, that number is growing.

"There are 12,631 students in the district now; by the beginning of the 2011-12 school year that number will be 13,196," Adams said. "We will reach 16,000 students in the near future."

The funds will be used to add some additional classrooms at the elementary level and several in middle school. It will also fund the construction of a new high school.

Prop 3 Projects

The following is a list of projects to be funded by Prop 3. Also included is an estimated completion date.

• Eight new classrooms at , fall 2012
• Eight new classrooms at , fall 2012
• Eight new classrooms at , fall 2012
• Eight new classrooms at Lakeview Elementary, fall 2012
• Eight new classrooms at Discovery Ridge Elementary, fall 2012
• Four new classrooms at Crossroads Elementary, fall 2012
• Four new classrooms at , fall 2012
• Twenty classrooms at , fall 2012
• Four classrooms at , fall 2012
• A new high school, fall 2013

What will it cost?

The district's current tax levy is $4.58 per $100 of assessed valuation. Proposition 3 will bring that to $4.88 per $100.

The elementary school expansions, which will add classrooms onto existing school facilities, are estimated at around $14.4 million.

Expansion at the two middle schools is estimated at $9.4 million and a new high school facility is in the range of $36-$40 million. 

The new high school will be able to house between 1,000 and 1,200 students and will have all the amenities  and  have, with the exception of a second gym and auditorium.

Voters in Tuesday's election kept one incumbent board member and elected two new faces to the R-IV School Board.

Terry Ratcliff retained her seat on the board. She will be joined by Heather Reiter and Courtney Tieman. Incumbent Board President Michael Cecil was defeated. 

"I'm disappointed," Cecil told Patch. "I put in three long years. I think I've helped the school board a lot, and it's a shame that experience can't continue to help the district."

Reiter said Cecil's loss would be felt.

"Mr. Cecil is a huge loss," Reiter said. "He has wisdom and experience that can't be replaced. It's a loss for the district, but we will move forward and continue to pursue his vision."

The candidates and their unofficial vote totals are as follows. The top three vote getters are elected to the board.

• Terry Ratcliff: 4,342 votes, 18.02 percent
• Heather Reiter: 4,129 votes, 17.14 percent
• Courtney Tieman: 3,558 votes, 14.77 percent
• Michael Cecil: 3,120 votes, 12.95 percent
• Angela Mutert: 3,018 votes, 12.53 percent
• Charles MacNab: 2,726 votes, 11.31 percent
• Sandy Garber: 2,287 votes, 9.49 percent
• Lelain Wayne "Pete" Self: 791 votes, 3.28 percent
• Write-in votes: 122 or 0.51 percent