Crews are tearing up stadium turf, pouring concrete, and replacing playground equipment at schools across the Rockwood district this summer. It's the first summer the Prop 3 program is operating at its full budgeted scale, two and a half years after voters approved the levy transfer in November 2023.

The work spans at least seven campuses in the Chesterfield, Wildwood, and Fenton areas. Planned expenditures for fiscal year 2025-26 total $36.4 million, nearly triple the $13.4 million spent in the program's first year. The higher figure reflects both the levy transfer's full phase-in and a $5.9 million carryover from lighter spending in year one.

What's happening now

The district confirmed three categories of major summer work this month:

Stadium field turf. Marquette High School in Chesterfield and Rockwood Summit High School are both getting full field-turf resurfacing. The district announced the work on June 18.

Entrance reconstruction. Concrete work at Rockwood Summit's main entrance is underway. The district described it as one of its major Prop 3 facilities projects this summer, posting a photo on June 23. The project falls under the "Hard Surface Paving" budget line, which totals $2 million district-wide for the fiscal year.

Playground upgrades. Ridge Meadows, Stanton, and Wild Horse elementary schools are all receiving new playground equipment, synthetic turf surfacing, and shock pads for accessibility. The district's Prop 3 facilities tracker lists all three as "in progress." A fourth elementary playground, at Green Pines, was completed earlier.

Additional work in progress includes new HVAC systems at Bowles, Geggie, Rockwood South Middle, and Westridge elementary schools. The district has not announced specific completion deadlines for any of the summer projects.

The money

Prop 3 passed with 66.3% support in November 2023 after a similar 2022 measure failed. The approved transfer moved 54 cents per $100 of assessed valuation from the district's debt service levy to its capital projects levy over two years, with no change to the total tax rate of roughly $3.88. The shift now generates approximately $26–27 million annually, according to the district's Prop 3 dashboard.

Of the $36.4 million in planned spending this fiscal year, facilities account for $22 million. The largest single slice is HVAC replacement at $10.9 million, followed by roofing restoration at $5 million. Playgrounds are budgeted at $1 million district-wide.

In pitching the measure to the Board of Education in August 2023, Chief Financial Officer Cyndee Byous framed the transfer as common-sense housekeeping. "You wouldn't take out a mortgage to replace your roof or carpeting in your home," Byous told the board. "This is more like moving money from a savings account to a checking account rather than taking out a loan." She said the district needs $30–35 million each year to keep pace with safety, technology, and facility needs, and that the average Rockwood school building is 47 years old.

What's still ahead

The district's facilities tracker lists several projects beyond this summer's work: ADA compliance upgrades at Eureka Early Childhood Center, bathroom renovations at Crestview, Pond, and LaSalle middle schools, foundation work at Ellisville and Stanton elementaries, and turf replacement at Eureka High and Lafayette High.

The district's Prop 3 priority page acknowledges that years of deferred maintenance preceded the measure and that catching up will take time. Funds from the previous bond issue, Prop T passed in 2017, were fully depleted by summer 2023, making Prop 3 the sole capital funding mechanism going forward.

Families returning to Ridge Meadows, Stanton, and Wild Horse this fall will find rebuilt playgrounds. Football and soccer fans at Marquette and Summit will play on fresh turf. Progress updates are posted at prop3.rsdmo.org.