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Lee’s Summit R-7 Board of Education places no tax rate increase bond issue on April 8 ballot

The Lee’s Summit R-7 Board of Education approved placement of a no tax rate increase bond issue for the April 8, 2025 ballot at its Dec. 19 regular monthly meeting. Board members approved ballot language to fund major building improvements and maintenance and equipment needs throughout the district by a 7-0 vote.

The $225 million bond issue would finance facility needs identified through an 18-month stakeholder process, and includes the construction of new buildings for Hazel Grove and Greenwood elementaries, renovations for Pleasant Lea Middle School and Miller Park Center, high school athletic field upgrades, safety and security improvements, and critical maintenance and repairs throughout the district, among other items.

Also approved by the Board: a special resolution addressing a district proposal made earlier this year to address declining enrollment at Lee’s Summit Elementary (LSE) and Westview (WVE) elementaries by consolidating both attendance areas in a renovated, state-of-the-art building on the Westview campus. The proposal was made by administration last month and later endorsed by a stakeholder group that recommends bond projects to elected officials. The Board’s resolution considered Thursday allocates 2025 bond funds to both schools but stipulates that before the proposal for consolidation or original plans for separate renovations at each school can proceed, a district-wide elementary enrollment evaluation must be conducted and a strategic plan to address shifting student populations must be developed by a committee of district stakeholders and approved by the Board. 

On Thursday evening, Board members indicated that they may tweak or modify the resolution at a later meeting to adjust and/or specify the structure or format of its proposed committee work as needed. The Board also deferred a decision on whether to authorize a Missouri Prop C rollback election to the Jan. 16 board meeting.

The bond issue is the result of an 18-month process beginning with engagement surveys in Fall 2023 taken by more than 3,400 parents, staff and community members. More than 150 stakeholders on district and building-level Comprehensive Facilities Master Planning (CFMP) teams reviewed this feedback in conjunction with district data and identified $560 million in capital needs district-wide over the next five years. The group also determined five priorities for facility improvements reflected in the 2025 bond projects: ADA accessibility, safety and security, future-ready-learning, infrastructure upgrades and programmatic improvements. 

The CFMP work provided extensive analysis for consideration by the Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CAC), the district stakeholder group tasked by the Board each bond cycle with recommending to elected officials which projects to address with available funds and which to defer. The Board approved all projects recommended by the CAC this cycle, with the exception of its specific LSE/WVE resolution.

By law, voter-approved bond funds are restricted to capital improvements such as new schools, building renovations and maintenance. Operating costs such as staffing, employee salaries and classroom supplies cannot be covered by a bond issue. The April 2025 bond issue will require a four-sevenths majority for approval. 

The deadline to register to vote for the April election is March 12.

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More Information:

Bond 2025 Recommended Project List

  • Greenwood Elementary (New Build)
  • Hazel Grove Elementary (New Build)
  • Westview Elementary/Lee’s Summit Elementary (Project Plan Pending Additional Study)**
  • Pleasant Lea Middle School (Renovations: Sixth Grade Addition, Site Work)
  • Miller Park (Renovations: Entryway, Site Work)
  • Aerospace Hangar (Aerospace Program)
  • Baseball and Softball Field Upgrades at Lee's Summit North and Lee's Summit West High School
  • Soccer and Band Field Upgrades at all Three High Schools
  • Safety and Security Improvements
  • Classroom Furniture
  • General Capital Improvements
  • Purchase of Land

**What does this mean? The Board has committed bond dollars to both schools, while deferring decision-making about specific project plans until additional research and engagement outlined in the resolution can occur.

What is a no tax rate increase bond issue? A school bond issue is a financing tool used by districts to pay for capital projects, such as new buildings, renovations or land purchases. In a bond issue, districts ask voters if they can issue bonds to borrow money to cover the costs of these capital projects, and pay them back with property tax revenue. In a no tax rate increase bond issue, districts ask voters to hold the tax rate at the same rate in order to fund future facility needs. The district will ask voters on the April 8, 2025 ballot to keep the debt service tax rate at $0.87 in order to fund the projects outlined above.

More about the Proposed Lee’s Summit Elementary/Westview Consolidation

Original Q+A shared on Nov. 6

Updated Q+A shared with Board of Education on Dec. 19