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Hazelwood School District Bond Issue
Gets Endorsement from GNC Chamber

The Greater North County Chamber endorses Hazelwood School District Proposition H (Prop H) initiative on the Nov. 8 2022 ballot.

The bond issue if approved would: fund safety and security improvements; updates and renovations to athletic/activity facilities; classroom technology and network upgrades; purchase new school buses, improve the energy efficiency of facilities; and pay off existing lease obligations for school bus purchases and energy efficiency projects.

Passage of the bond issue would not increase the Hazelwood district’s debt service tax rate, which is used solely to fund construction and major repair and improvement projects.

A four-sevenths super-majority (57.14%) is required for approval of the bond issue.

Prop H is a zero-tax-rate-change bond issue. A zero-tax-rate-change bond issue is a traditional way for schools to borrow money to pay for capital projects that are too costly for a typical budget. In Missouri, this requires voter approval even if the bond issue will not raise the tax rate.

Proponents say it works much like a home equity loan, where a homeowner who pays down his or her debt can spend up to his or her credit limit again for new projects without paying more in his or her monthly loan payment

Prop H does not increase any current taxes. Bonds are low-interest loans the district pays back using funds from its debt service levy. Funds from the debt service levy cannot be used to pay for salaries, classroom supplies or other routine, budgeted items that support teaching and learning in the classroom.

The Hazelwood District can borrow up to $130 million in bond funds without raising the debt service levy used to repay the financing.

With the new bond issue, Hazelwood is able to complete the projects in a new facilities plan using the same existing levy.
For more information on Prop H, visit https://www.hazelwoodschools.org/proph.

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