JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — Voters across Missouri and Illinois can head to the polls Tuesday, April 4, to cast ballots on several local topics, issues and candidates.
Jefferson County voters will see financial questions related to safety and security across several of their school districts during Tuesday's election.
5 On Your Side talked with two districts that are eager to make security changes, especially after a shooter killed six people last Monday at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Northwest R-1 School District in Cedar Hill will ask voters to approve borrowing $28 million for security enhancement projects. This would include revamping school entryways, upgrading surveillance and intercom systems, adjoining classrooms to main buildings and more. There are no tax increases associated.
District superintendent Jennifer Hecktor said keeping all students inside one physical building is a step much needed.
“What we’re going to do is hopefully bring those exterior buildings into the main campus and make it contiguous," she said. "So that we don’t have kids walking outside during the school day.”
She said adding a double-door structure to each school entryway is also the safest option for students.
“The goal is for us not to have adults with students right when they walk in the door," she said. "We are adding that second layer buffer, which is the second set of double doors, where the office staff has good visibility of the adult before they enter the building.”
There are other measures on their ballot, including adding a multipurpose room to the high school gym and renovating playgrounds at elementary schools. But Hecktor said school security is most important right now.
“I don’t think we can do enough to keep our kids and our staff safe and really for learning to take place we need to meet basic needs and one of those needs is the feeling of security and safety in our schools," she said.
The Grandview School District in Hillsboro will also ask voters to approve a no-tax-increase measure borrowing $7.2 million for security and safety throughout its schools. This includes remodeling main entrances to all buildings to increase security, installing ballistic film on all first-floor doors and windows, replacing and updating surveillance systems and more.
District superintendent Matt Zoph said the district's remote location makes school security increasingly important.
“For us, being out in the middle of nowhere in the country, every second counts in an emergency," he said.
He said the ballistic film on windows is crucial in the event of an intruder.
“It won’t necessarily stop a bullet, but it will slow down an intruder, kind of like the windshield on your car when you have an accident," he said.
There are other measures on this ballot too, including replacing a sewer treatment plant, adding a kitchen and purchasing new school buses.
For Zoph and the whole district, adding security measures hit even harder.
“Jean Kuczka and her family have been a very important part of this district for a long time," he said.
Kuczka was the P.E. teacher who was shot and killed protecting her students during a school shooting on Oct. 24, 2022, at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. She and a student, Alexandria Bell, were both killed that day.
Zoph said he was close to Kuczka, and her husband is a member of his school district. He said losing her drives one point home more than anything else.
“There’s nothing more precious than a child’s life," he said.
Polling places across Missouri open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will remain open until 7 p.m. If you're in line before 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote.
Click here to see if you're registered to vote and to find your designated polling place.
Missouri law requires all voters to present some form of ID before they can be issued a ballot. The following forms of identification are acceptable for voting:
- A nonexpired Missouri driver or non-driving license.
- A nonexpired military ID, including a veteran’s ID card.
- A nonexpired U.S. passport.
- Another photo ID issued by the U.S. or Missouri that has not expired or expired after the date of the most recent general election.
Polling places across Illinois also open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and will remain open until 7 p.m. If you're in line before 7 p.m., you will still be allowed to vote. Click here for voter registration lookup.
