By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The Hazelwood School District is celebrating a second major bond issue in two years.
Voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $65 million bond to pay for improvements to more than 20 schools in the district. That comes two years after voters approved a $75 million bond to build four new middle schools. Those schools are scheduled to open next year.
Superintendent Chris Wright says progress from the first bond issue might have helped people decide to support the second one. "They can look around and say 'okay we passed a bond to build these schools and yeah, sure enough, here are these schools,' Wright said, in an interview.
"So I think they're heartened and reassured. People always want to know that their tax dollars are being spent the way they want them spent."
Wright says Tuesday's was the second of three scheduled bond issues that will help the district meet a long-term plan called 'Hazelwood First.' She says the next vote will probably go on ballots in 2009, though district officials have not yet determined exactly what amount to ask for or what specific projects to target for completion with use of that money.