Prop. MVS passes with 66-percent voter support Mt. Vernon R-5 begins making improvements to school buildings

With the passing of Proposition MVS by voters on Tuesday, June 2, the Mt. Vernon R-5 School District has already begun to make the promised improvements to their facilities. Prop MVS, which was approved by 66-percent of Mt. Vernon voters, allows the district to borrow $11.5 million by increasing the debt service by $.35 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation, raising the levy from $.57 to $.92.
Scott Cook, superintendent of schools, said the district’s first priority is to see to the completion of projects that must be finished before school starts back up again in August.
“These will be the upgrades to our entrances for security purposes and the beginning of the electrical rewiring,” he said. “There is a plan to complete a great deal of the electrical work prior to the start of school but some of the finishes will likely occur during scheduled breaks after school resumes. The most substantial entrance change is happening at the elementary campus and work has already begun there to make sure we are done by August.”
To make sure as many projects were completed as possible before school starts again, Cook said the district approved a contract, contingent on the passing of Prop MVS, for the projects prior to the election.
“Work began on June 3, the day after the election,” Cook said. “We had put so much time and effort into the planning phase that there was no down time needed. The board approved a contract for Phase I of projects prior to election day which was contingent upon approval from our patrons and, as a result, we have been able to hit the ground running.”
 Community support, this time
Cook said the passing of Prop MVS shows how much the community supports Mt. Vernon’s children.
“We believe that it shows the great level of support for the district we knew was always present,” he said. “There was disappointment in 2019 when the issue failed, but the board, administration, and staff listened to the community regarding the nature of the projects and developed a new vision for what could be accomplished. We see it as a progressive step forward. Although a great deal of the projects include deferred maintenance, the expansion of early childhood and the Vocational Agriculture Center are huge investments in the future we can provide for students and something we believe makes the district even more appealing and attractive when it comes to community growth.”
This was the second time the district appealed to Mt. Vernon voters for funds to improve the district’s buildings. Cook said that after the original bond issue in 2019 was narrowly defeated, the district used feedback from the community to come up with a bond issue that community members could support.
“The bond issue in 2019 was unsuccessful,” he said, “and caused us to rethink how the projects would be designed and implemented. Proposition MVS carried over some aspects of the unsuccessful issue, but it looked quite a bit different from the original. Because of the changes suggested by the community, Proposition MVS was a much better plan than the plan proposed in 2019.”
MV Supporters unite
In addition to community feedback, Cook also credited the efforts by a local community group, MV Supporters, with helping to get Prop MVS passed.
“The efforts they made through fundraising, yard signs, mailings, the promotional video, and an expanded social media presence really helped to make sure the community was aware of the projects involved and of the issue itself,” he said. “A special thank you goes out to the group’s chairperson Lisa Rogers-Scott and treasurer Rhonda Botts.”
Cook said the district is grateful to the community for passing Prop MVS, and will now work to make good on what was promised.
“I am very proud of the community for seeing this as an opportunity to take the district in a progressive direction,” he said. “We are humbled by their support. I know the board did not take lightly that this issue would involve a tax increase. They have had a longstanding history of keeping the tax burden on the community as low as possible. Proposition MVS is the first tax increase for the school in 21 years. But we are thankful that when help was needed, our community came through to support us with flying colors. Proposition MVS received the highest percentage of support for a bond issue since a no tax increase bond issue to build the ‘new’ high school was approved in 1994. Now our focus shifts to delivering on the promises made which will positively impact our students for years to come.”