​🏛️ April 2 Issue of the Week: Why School Boards Matter to Everyone

 

Summary

 

Both Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit have School Board elections on April 7, and in addition Lee’s Summit has a critical Proposition C Rollback Issue. Think these elections don’t affect you? They do. We all need to vote - no excuses!

 

Why School Boards Matter

 

Well-Run, Non-Partisan School Boards Matter Because Strong Schools Mean:

 

Rising Property Values. Demand for housing is higher because families want to send their kids to great schools.

 

Lower Crime Rates. Communities are robust and the kids are busier when we have great schools.

 

Thriving Local Economies. Great public schools create skilled employees and attract growing businesses looking for those employees.

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Key Local Details

 

Lee’s Summit Proposition C Rollback – Vote YES! 

 

The ballot language for Prop C may be confusing, you will see terms like “tax,” “levy,” and “rollback.” In reality, a “yes” vote restores funding that was reduced in previous years and keeps our school district strong. This local investment will generate more than $4 million to help bring teacher and staff salaries up from some of the lowest levels in the region—critical for retaining great educators. Is there an impact on homeowners? Mild for nearly all of us approx. 75 dollars per year (yep that’s $75 for the whole year… less than $7/month), for tax on an avg $300k home — not many things you can pay that little that increases your home value. The return for our schools, our kids, and our community is significant. Lee’s Summit has built an exceptional school system, and this is about making sure we don’t fall behind.

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Lee’s Summit School Board NEA Endorsed Candidates

 

(You have three votes; NEA endorsed three)

 

Dr. Kamile Johnson

 

Erica Miller

 

Rodrick Sparks

 

Blue Spring’s School Board NEA Endorsed Candidates (You have three votes; NEA endorsed only two)

 

Rebecca Swank

 

Ken Horrell

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There Is A Better Path Forward

 

 

Our Schools Are the Heart of Our Community Let’s Get More Bang for the Buck: Public/Private partnerships work! Bringing local businesses leaders together with the leadership of local districts helps create a ready workforce. Bringing civic groups together with the leadership of local districts helps create viable communities. We see this with Summit Tech Academy, Community Service Clubs, and district partnerships with community colleges and the military. We must not just highlight these wins but magnify them.

 

Let’s Make Sure All Students Are Ready for Life: Both Lee’s Summit and Blue Springs are doing a good job of blurring the lines between learning and real life. Kids are graduating with job ready certifications and in some cases, even associates degrees. We also need to add life skills for all the students- from civics classes to basic life skills and creative outlets. These can’t just be for the most supported students, but for all students, no matter what their home situation maybe.

 

Let’s Fund Them Effectively: Schools are currently funded through Local, State and Federal Taxes (and a lot of fundraisers!) As federal and state funding get pulled back to reduce income taxes on higher brackets, more of the burden falls to local taxes. This can easily create a downward spiral and an impossible funding formula for districts. We need to understand the income tax system in our state and advocate proper state funding for all public schools.

 

 

Conclusion

 

My wife and I moved to District 33 because of the high-quality schools. I was the product of an excellent public school, and my kids have benefited from not only a great education, but also from being part of the wonderful community surrounding our district. It’s important for me that our school stay strong through community and business collaboration, setting high standards for schools, and then helping them achieve them by ensuring they have proper resources- and it won’t happen through a bake sale alone.