As promised, I’m returning with an answer as to why the Benton-Stadler science building at UMSL and the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center and MU were not included in the University of Missouri’s $332 million bond issue. Those two buildings are apparently the school’s top building projects, but have been in limbo for years as they awaiting state funding. But they are not amongst the dozen projects being funded by this bond issue. (The Missouri General Assembly did approve funding for both buildings in the last session, but Nixon has frozen those funds to help fill a state budget shortfall. It’s unclear if and when that money will be unfrozen.)

As I suspected, the reason these two buildings were not included is because they are not revenue-generating facilities and so the school would not have a source of funds to pay back the debt service on them. That’s what Nikki Krawitz, the system’s vice president for finance and administration, told me in an email.

She said that while the patient care provided at Ellis Fischel would generate some revenue, it would not be enough to support $30 million in debt. She added that the health system does not have enough debt capacity to absorb it either.

But apparently an eight-floor hospital tower that is included in the bond issue will make enough revenue to pay back the debt service. That project is included in the bond issue. A new Ellis Fischel is to be on the first two floors of that building. Krawitz said that even though part of the shell of the center would be constructed when the patient tower is built, that the price tag for Ellis will remain at $52 million — $31 million of the university is hoping to get from the state.

The Grade is the St. Louis region’s premier blog on education and child welfare. To read other recent posts, go to www.stltoday,com/thegrade.