The Lee's Summit R-7 District Got $4 Million more in taxes Last Year, So Where’s the Shortfall?

The Lee's Summit R-7 District Got $4 Million more in taxes Last Year, So Where’s the Shortfall?

January 29, 2011

Despite the R-7 district's claim that tax revenue is shrinking, according to the Jackson County Collection Department they received $2 million more from property taxes this last year. According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education the District did receive a shortfall in 2010 state taxes of about 6 million dollars, but the R-7 District received an additional 8 million more dollars from the federal government through the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, yielding a net gain in tax dollars in 2010 of 4 million. The total tax revenue that went to the R-7 District in 2010 amounts to $169,051,445.80.

But the district claims:

"The financial crisis is compounded by growing enrollments and rising costs in areas such as fuel, utilities and benefits, including state-mandated retirement contributions." R-7 Website.

In the Flyer the District sent home with the kids it looks like the enrollment increased by 500 this last, but if you look at the fine print on their website you find that this is the additional enrollment since 2007. It turns out that the rapidly growing enrollment amounts to 250 students this last year. (Page 4, in the question and answer section of the R-7 website.) There are 18 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 3 High Schools. That means there has been an increase of about 1 1/2 student per grade.

I checked the inflation rate and according to the federal government it was at 1.5% in December, and fuel prices, while high, have remained consistently between $2.50-2.75 a gallon for the last two years or so. And the District really isn’t talking about how much they are having to pay in “mandated retirement” (according to the Public School Retirement System, the increase is only ½ a percent.)

But, the District assures us that it’s only an extra $336 per home assessed at $200,000, not taking into account that the commercial property, which is valued almost twice as high as residential property, is going to take an enormous hit during one of the worst economic downturns in history. Not only will this levy cause rent to go up and drive business elsewhere, it will mean higher food costs at restaurants- already hurting, and grocery stores as well as higher costs for those ballet and karate lessons.

With enrollment and inflation only growing at 1% and the 4 million additional tax dollars, I fail to see how the District can justify this levy or its devastating effects on the community.



Linda Koch Marshall,

Lee’s Summit

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post Some schools brag about their high passing rates on AP or IB, meaning the percentage of test-takers who scored 3, 4 or 5 on the 5-point AP exam or 4, 5, 6 or 7 on the 7-point IB exam. Passing scores make students eligible for credit at many colleges and universities. I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses. AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations. Research has found that even low-performing students who got a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP. On the list, we also give readers a sense of how well each school’s students are doing on the tests by posting the Equity and Excellence rate, which is the percentage of all graduating s...
Read more

My Letter Requesting To Become A Board Member

Sherri R. Tucker 1200 SE London Way Lee’s Summit, MO   64081 816-554-3017 autism@kc.rr.com Lee’s Summit R-7 School District C/o Linda Ismert, Board Secretary Stansberry Leadership Center 301 NE Tudor Road Lee’s Summit, MO   64086 Ms Ismert I would like to submit my name for the position on the Lee’s Summit R-7 School Board.   As you know, I have expressed an interest in being on the school board in the past.   On my first attempt I only lost by 2% which would indicate that the voters have an interest in me being on the board as well.   I would think that the voters’ wishes would be taken into consideration. I have a strong relationship with many of the districts’ families and I can help to bridge the gap between them and the district.   I understand the commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops.   I already do that with the f...
Read more

School Board Candidates

I am attempting to find information on the school board candidates.  It has been much easier in the past.  This year it has been more difficult.  Susan D. Coffman Susan Coffman has served as the Outreach Program Coordinator and Finance Officer for Lee’s Summit CARES since 2008. She has been a mayor-appointed representative to the Human Services Advisory Board, facilitated alcohol retailer trainings, organized the annual Holly Festival with the DARE program, managed bookkeeping and accounting, and served as the community liaison between LS CARES and local business, universities and the cities.  Coffman’s financial background includes work as a customer support specialist at Jack Henry & Associates Inc. for 11 years and assistant vice president and customer support specialist at Merchants Bank for 17 years.  Her community activities include serving on the Human Services Advisory Board, Paradise Park Advisory Board, Lee’s Summit Social Services Board, form...
Read more