Jefferson Review
Fox C 6 Proposition M Aims to Address Safety and Aging School Facilities
District leaders say the proposal focuses on maintaining buildings, improving classroom safety, and managing existing debt without increasing the tax rate.
By The Jefferson Review
For voters in the Fox C 6 School District, Proposition M will appear on the upcoming April ballot with a focus on maintaining aging facilities and strengthening safety measures across the district.
According to Superintendent Dr. Paul Fregeau, the proposal is a $48 million bond issue that would not increase the district’s current tax rate.
“Proposition M is a forty eight million zero tax rate increase bond issue,” Fregeau said. “We’re funding three main objectives: maintaining our schools, modernizing our safety measures, and managing our resources.”
The bond would extend the district’s existing debt service timeline from 2041 to 2046 but would keep the current debt service levy at the same rate.
Fregeau compares the approach to refinancing a home to address major repairs.
“It’s similar to refinancing your home to do roofing or major repairs,” he said. “The tax rate stays the same, but it allows us to take care of the building needs.”
Importantly, Fregeau emphasized that bond funds can only be used for facilities.
“Bonds are for buildings,” he said. “They can’t be used for salaries, benefits, or operational costs.”
A Large District With Aging Buildings
Fox C 6 is one of the largest school districts in Missouri. The district covers 75 square miles and ranks as the 17th largest district in the state out of roughly 500 districts statewide.
That size brings significant responsibility when it comes to maintaining facilities.
The district currently maintains more than a dozen school buildings and support facilities, each with its own infrastructure systems that require ongoing upkeep.
“Our average age of our buildings is forty five years old.”
A facilities assessment conducted by the district identified approximately $150 million in maintenance needs over the next 15 years, including roofing, HVAC systems, electrical systems, plumbing, and parking lots.
Fox C 6 also manages a large physical footprint. The district maintains 31 acres of rooftop across its buildings, roughly the size of 23 football fields, along with hundreds of heating and cooling units.
“We have 337 HVAC units across the district,” Fregeau said.
While the district has addressed some repairs using existing funds, Fregeau said relying solely on annual maintenance budgets would delay necessary work for decades.
“We can only do about three million dollars of work per year,” he explained. “Divide that into one hundred fifty million and you’re looking at fifty years. By that time there will be even more needs.”
If approved, Proposition M would allow the district to replace all roofs currently categorized as “red,” meaning those needing immediate attention.
Fregeau said addressing these problems early helps prevent larger issues, including water damage and mold.
“If you don’t take care of those issues early, they become much larger and more expensive projects,” he said.
Safety Improvements Focus on Doors and Monitoring
Alongside facility maintenance, the proposal includes several safety improvements.
One of the key priorities involves upgrading exterior and classroom doors across the district.
Currently, Fregeau said, the district has a wide variety of locking systems in place.
“We have a mishmash of different door locks and door hardware across the district,” he said.
Some classrooms, he added, do not currently have standard doors.
Proposition M would allow the district to install a consistent locking system throughout all buildings, including visual indicators showing whether doors are locked.
Teachers and staff would be able to quickly verify the status of a door during an emergency.
Exterior doors would also be upgraded with monitoring systems that alert staff if a door is left open and allow administrators to immediately view the door through cameras.
“When you enhance safety, your kids are going to feel safer, your staff will feel safer, and parents will feel better about their kids being in the building,” Fregeau said.
He noted that a secure and stable environment is essential for effective learning.
“If you don’t take care of kids’ basic needs, it’s hard for them to learn at a top level.”
“I’m not trying to be crass, but we would never forgive ourselves if something happened and we didn’t do everything we could to enhance safety.”
Community Engagement Shaped the Proposal
Fregeau said one aspect of the process he is most proud of is the district’s effort to involve the community.
District leaders conducted more than 30 in person presentations across schools and community groups, gathering feedback through live surveys during the meetings.
“We showed people their feedback in real time,” Fregeau said. “We wanted to be very transparent.”
The district also distributed a broader survey that received more than 1,400 responses from community members.
The results aligned closely between in person meetings and survey responses.
Roof replacements and HVAC upgrades ranked as the top maintenance priorities, while classroom doors, exterior doors, and rapid response systems ranked highest among safety improvements.
“That alignment helped us prioritize the work,” Fregeau said.
What Happens if Proposition M Does Not Pass?
Fregeau said the underlying facility needs will not disappear if voters reject the proposal.
Instead, repairs would likely be delayed while buildings continue to age.
Some HVAC systems are already so old that replacement parts are difficult to obtain.
“In some cases we have to fabricate parts because they’re no longer manufactured,” he said.
Fregeau said delays can lead to temporary fixes such as fans or reduced climate control while parts are manufactured.
Safety improvements included in the proposal would also remain unaddressed.
A Message to Voters
As voters consider Proposition M, Fregeau said the district’s goal is straightforward.
“We’ve done our homework. We have the data. We know the condition of every roof, every HVAC unit, and our safety needs,” he said.
The proposal, he added, focuses on maintaining existing facilities rather than building new ones.
“We’re not asking for anything fancy,” Fregeau said. “It’s just about maintaining what we have, just like you would do with your home.”
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