Mercer R-3 eyes waiver to fund vo-ag building

MERCER, MO — Voters in the Mercer R-3 School District could be heading for an election on a full Proposition C waiver come April, 2013. The R-3 Board of Education is discussing the possibility of placing the decision on the ballot. School officials say they would like to tie a Proposition C waiver into the construction of an agriculture education building. Money generated by a Proposition C waiver can be used for whatever is directed by the school board, but voters have to approve the waiver before it can happen. With voter approval, the waiver becomes permanent although the school board can, on its own, roll back part of the waiver. Over an 8-year period the district estimates a waiver would generate between $320,000 and $340,000 for school district use. Mercer is one of 30 schools in Missouri that does not have a Proposition C waiver in place. Proposition C was passed in 1993 statewide. It created a sales tax specifically earmarked for public education but carried a provision that required a district’s property tax levy to be rolled back so the district wouldn’t get a windfall from the new funding source. Mercer voters turned down a bond issue in April, 2011, that would have paid for about 60% of the costs of constructing a vocational education building.