Kansas City school district wanted to raise teacher pay. So voters approved a tax hike

Voters in the Hickman Mills school district overwhelmingly approved a tax increase to pay for higher teacher and staff salaries on Tuesday. In addition, they voted for a $20 million bond issue to fund facility improvements and add another middle school.

According to Kansas City and Jackson County election results, more than 66% of voters approved the tax increase to allow the district to raise salaries amid ongoing staff shortages in a competitive job market.

Superintendent Yaw Obeng said the district plans to raise starting teacher salaries from roughly $38,000 per year, to about $45,000, among the highest in the Kansas City metro. And the district would raise salaries for non-certified staff as well, such as paraprofessionals, custodians and food service workers — all of which have been in limited supply over the past few years during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide labor shortages.

“I want to be the employer of choice,” Obeng said. “I want people to say, ‘Hey, I want to be there because they have a great culture and great community support, but also I can have great compensation to support myself and my family.’ That’s what we’re going for. And the (school) board has said that’s the goal. And now the community has said with a resounding ‘yes’ that we want to do that.”

Also on Tuesday, 76% of voters approved a $20 million bond issue for the district to fund facility improvements and convert a shuttered school into an additional middle school. Approval of the bond issue does not raise taxes.

Obeng said the district will transform or sell three closed school sites — the old Smith-Hale school, as well as Symington and Johnson elementary schools — which closed a few years ago, over the objections of some politicians, developers and community members, due to budget challenges and declining enrollment.

Hickman Mills, in south Kansas City, currently has one middle school with 1,200 students, Obeng said, and plans to expand to two buildings, that will be updated with modernized classrooms and offer more arts and science programs.

The bond money also will fund security improvements, such as new cameras and other safety features.

The school board will decide on a plan to determine what to do with the other shuttered schools, which have seen fires and vandalism as they sit vacant. The district could sell the sites to be demolished and repurposed, or turned into a space for community use.

The tax vote to increase staff pay raises Hickman Mills’ operating tax levy by $1.35. The change would result in an annual property tax increase of $256.50 on a $100,000 home, the district estimates.

Obeng said that he was overjoyed by the community’s strong approval of both ballot questions, saying it shows residents want to see the district improve.

“I knew that the community wanted to invest in our district to help it move forward. But the overwhelming response and decisive outcome of the tax levy and the bond says that the community really, truly does want to invest in Hickman Mills and the community,” he said.