$40 million no tax increase bond would fund major Joplin Schools upgrades

April 7th:  That's the day that voters will cast ballots on the fate of a no-tax-increase $40 bond in the Joplin School System.

Improvements would bring the older elementary schools in the city into line with newer schools.

Joplin Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kerry Sachetta says the bond will need a margin of just over 57 percent to pass.

The bond duration aligns with a 20-year plan to ensure stable funding and project completion. The measure will extend funding for essential school improvements to multiple elementary schools and the high school

This approach hopes to balance community support with long-term infrastructure needs.

Dr. Sachetta says elementary schools impacted include Stapleton, Eastmorland, Cecil Floyd, Kelsey Norman, Jefferson, McKinley, Royal Heights, and a multipurpose center at the high school.

The Superintendent says one goal is to offer an single standard for the educational experience for elementary school students.

“When we built the new schools after the tornado, Soaring Heights and Irving, we utilized standards that were adopted in 2011 by the Long Range Facility Committee,”  the Superintendent states.

“What was very apparent after Dover elementary was up in 2022 was we had a stark difference between three of our elementary schools that were up to about 12 years old and seven that were much older. One of them, Royal Heights, has been around over 100 years.”

“We we looked at all of our schools and we said, well, how many of our kindergarten classrooms are big enough to accommodate kindergarteners and how many of them have restrooms? How many schools need help with special needs classrooms? How many schools need assistance with art and music classrooms?"

Dr. Sachetta says the quality of the school, at this point, often depends on where parents choose to buy a house or rent a house or apartment.

“We want to improve this,” he says. “No matter where a parent decides to live in Joplin, their child should have a similar experience.”

Dr. Sachetta says safety and parking and room for drop-offs are other concerns.

The bond would also add a new building at Joplin High School - an indoor activity facility just south of Franklin Tech. 

The building would be used for Physical Education during the day, career oriented classes as well as ROTC and Archery.

He says the Junge Stadium campus would feature work on the building and grounds and construction at the transportation facility next door.

“We’ll be especially excited to put our schools on the same footing as much as is possible,” Dr. Sachetta says, "and to do some remodeling to better serve our students and teachers for generations."