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Voters in the affluent Ladue School District in suburban St. Louis in June voted a resounding 60% against a substantial property tax increase that would have slapped many homes with a 75-100% higher bill compared to 2000.
Arguments marshaled by opponents included the following evidence of runaway spending:
- Annual expenditures per student were conservatively estimated as $11,761 in 2002-03. (The true current figure is closer to $16,000.) The state average was $7,345.
- Average teacher salaries in the district will be about $54,000 in 2004, and 6% earn more than $80,000. Fewer than half of the teachers hold master's degrees.
- The student population has been flat over the last ten years, while teacher staffing has increased 20%. The ratio of students to classroom teachers is 13 to 1, compared to a state average of 18 to 1.
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Eagle Forum
