Proposition E and Equity in Education
This week, I want to take a moment and discuss Proposition E and the Riverview Gardens School District. Due to a decline in state funding and sales tax, the district has lost approximately $2.8 million over the last two years, with a $1.8 million decline in Fiscal Year 2021. It should go without saying, but I believe it is vital that our public schools are adequately funded so administrators, teachers and staff can focus on educating our students.
Proposition E is a new operating tax levy that is currently on the April 6 ballot. If approved, this tax levy would help provide additional funding to the Riverview Gardens School District. If passed, this proposition has the potential to help the district equalize resources across the schools, educate students to achieve their maximum potential and equip students with the skills needed to become lifelong learners.
Through the passage of Proposition E, I believe the district will be able to achieve a number of important goals. These include attaining full accreditation, expanding access to early childhood education, expanding transportation opportunities, aligning district goals with state standards to improve student performance, enhancing the salary schedule to recruit and retain quality teachers and striving to implement community and adult education programs.
In my opinion, Proposition E has the potential to make a life-changing impact on the children in the Riverview Gardens School District. All too often, when schools fail or lose funding, I think it is too easy to throw up our hands and give up. This is the wrong attitude, because every student who is educated through this district deserves an equitable, quality education, just as every other child in our state.
However, the Riverview Gardens School District is not one that quits when faced with challenges. Despite the decline in funding, the district has gone on to accomplish a number of impressive achievements:
- Attained provisional accreditation in 2017;
- Gained 1-to-1 technology for students;
- Established a school-based health center; and
- Earned the International Center for Leadership in Education Model School Award in June 2017, the Emerson YMCA Community Hero Award in Feb. 2019, the Bayer in Excellence in Education Award in Oct. 2016 and was named the Missouri School Board Association Early Childhood Education Program of the Year in Sept. 2020.
I look forward to voting for Proposition E in April. I believe it will help the Riverview Gardens School District achieve full accreditation and become better equipped to serve their students and help them achieve their full potential.
I would encourage you to learn more about Proposition E and the other issues and candidates on the April ballot by visiting stlouiscountymo.gov/st-louis-county-government/board-of-elections. Make a plan to vote on April 6, 2021. Although municipal elections may not be as exciting as other elections, it is still important to vote and make your voice heard in our community. Municipal elections can have a big impact locally, and I believe we should all be invested in the changes happening in our community.
For more information on Sen. Walton Mosley’s legislative actions, visit her official Senate website at www.senate.mo.gov/Mosley.