Lee's Summit school board approves tax increase to address $10 million budget shortfall

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — The Lee's Summit R-7 School District is raising property taxes after the school board voted to partially rescind a voluntary property tax rollback — a decision that followed a lengthy deliberation and pointed public comment from residents on both sides of the issue.

WATCH: District leaders address budget shortfall

It was argued that this decision doesn't raise property taxes because the district is partially rescinding a rollback that was implemented to offset the illegal property assessment debacle in Jackson County. Rescinding the rollback even a percentage results in an increase in property taxes.

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The approved plan will increase taxes by $120 annually on a $100,000 home, according to the district's finance director. The board rejected a full rescission of the rollback, as well as an amendment pushed by board members Sparks and Haley that would have placed the lowest possible burden on taxpayers.

Board member Sparks pointed out during the meeting that the way the proposal was marketed using the market value of a $100,000 home is deceiving.

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"The average price of a home in Lee's Summit is $400,000," Sparks stated. "We're talking about an increase of about $500."

The district is staring down a budget shortfall of up to $10 million, and board members made clear the options on the table were painful ones: rescind the property tax rollback, cut upward of 225 jobs or find some combination of the two.

Board member Nicky Nickens said she believes protecting people and programs has to come first.

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"I think the best way is to keep all of our programs whole as possible and protect all of our staff positions," she said.

But Nickens was direct about where she believes the blame belongs — not with the board, but with county and state leaders.

"This is the position we're put in, so we have to make hard decisions. We can do better. We can do better," she said.

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Nickens pointed to ongoing property tax turmoil at the Jackson County level, saying tax credit expiration over the next three years will pull $27 million out of the district's budget, affecting all 12 districts in Jackson County. She also criticized the state for consistently under-funding education, noting that local property taxes make up roughly two-thirds of the district's revenue, while the state contributes about 28%.

"They have not fully funded us. We're underfunded this year, we'll be underfunded next year," Nickens said, adding that she would like to see more support from state leadership.

Residents who addressed the board during public comment were divided. One woman pushed back hard on the tax increase.

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"Now asking for a 14.3% increase on the property tax bills of every property owner in this city. That's absurd," the woman said assertively to the board.

Others acknowledged the difficult reality the district is navigating.

"The amount of dollars needed to be cut, it's impossible to avoid reductions that impact staff, students and families," another person said. "You, board of education, working with the administration, you have the responsibility for short- and long-term financial stability of the district."

Board members told the public that the fight to find sustainable funding is far from over, even with this vote behind them.

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