Ferguson-Florissant Presses Forward After Proposition A Failure

Despite the failure of Proposition A Tuesday night, Ferguson-Florissant leaders and administrators began to look toward the future and the start of the 2013-2014 school year.

The proposition, which would have increased a tax levy for district residents, businesses and properties to 75 cents per $100 assessed valuation, failed 57 percent to 42 percent of the vote, according to the unofficial ballot results.

Rance Thomas, who served as co-chair of the Ferguson-Florissant Cares committee, said the result was disappointing, he and others would continue to work to educate people on the importance of maintaining good schools.

Superintendent Art McCoy said that the vote was a will of the people, but it wouldn’t stop the district from opening its doors to students on the first day of school.

“Now we can move forward to get school started with the resources we have,” he said.  

The proposition would have helped with a deficit in funding in the district, which is close to $3 million in its latest estimates. 

Although the proposition failed to pass, the district will receive funding from students transferring from Riverview Gardens and Normandy school districts, which could help keep the district reach a balanced budget situation this year, he said.

The district is expected to enroll as many as 425, according to figures provided by the Cooperating School District of St. Louis County Tuesday night.

McCoy said that he wants the focus to remain on what’s important, which is the children and not the money and working with the community moving forward.

Kimberly Benz, a Florissant resident who led Citizens Against Proposition A, wrote on Facebook after the results, “There are still things that need to be worked on in the district so I'm not going to party but this is definitely good for the residents. Now the district can hopefully focus on what is really important and get back to basics.”