Deep End of Public Education

In case you're curious, here's how Lee's Summit R-7 has done on salaries since 2015. Note: each of these rates are only for the lowest step/range for each schedule. I know for a fact our more experienced teachers later in their career are remarkably higher on the pay scale, even higher than most districts in the Kansas City area. I used the lowest pay rate on each schedule because the big push for the full Prop C waiver to pass in this month's election was specifically advertised to raise starting teacher pay. I thought it'd be interestint to look at the starting rate for each pay schedule.

I did note the year a 20 cent levy transfer was passed to compare how salaries changed without a levy transfer. One person has already pointed out how last year's increase of $560 in starting teacher salary was WITHOUT a full Prop C waiver, meaning the waiver passing this year really only made a $415 difference in their increase.

Do you think these changes are fair? What are your thoughts on the hourly positions (professional non-exempt, and support staff)? How do you think MO increasing minimum wage impacted hourly support staff? Would you say these are fair wages for our hourly employees?

A follow-up to my previous post about Board Member Sparks adding an agenda item to Thursday's board meeting:

Missouri's Sunshine Law (RSMO 610.020) states that the public must have at least 24 hours notice of the agenda for any public meeting of a governmental body. There are rare cases in which an amendment to the agenda can me made last minute, but that's reserved for when a longer notice is impossible or impractical (i.e. urgent personnel matters, public safety emergencies, legal or financial deadlines), but the law says the Board should give as much notice as is possible.

Sparks said the deadline for submitting his application for the directorship with MSBA is April 24th. As Board President Stacy Myers pointed out, the election was nine days prior to the board meeting and the directorship Sparks was seeking is an elected position that's filled on even-numbered years. Point being: He knew before the school board election that the election for MSBA director was coming up. After he won the school board on April 7, he had a whole week to inform the Board that he was interested in this role and needed the agenda item added to Thursday's meeting. The LSR7 School Board sets a tenative agenda a week prior to each monthly meeting and posts the agenda the Monday before (meetings are always on Thursdays). Sparks could have notified the Board Tuesday, or even Wednesday before end of day and it could have been legally added to the agenda. He chose to wait until the day of the meeting to inform the Board of his intentions.

Side note: Since he was not sworn into office until Thursday evening, requesting an added agenda item (I would think) would have to follow the same process as it would for any regular citizen. That process includes requesting a meeting with the Superintendent, meeting with him, then submitting a request to add an agenda item. The Board leadership then decides when it will be added to a monthly meeting. It's cumbersome, but it's the process outlined in district policy.

Board Member Sparks took it upon himself to interject his agenda item into his very first meeting back on the Board without proper notice to the public. What do you think of this choice? Do you think it is in alignment with Missouri Sunshine Law? How do you think the Board and district leadership should have handled this?

Dr. Buck said all the district's materials in their 51 engagements with the public talked about "all staff" getting raises. The flyer attached is what was utilized for Prop C materials. Does this flyer emphasize "ALL STAFF" getting raises? What does that flyer suggest to you about how Prop C revenue will be distributed for salary increases? And for those of you who attended any of the public engagement opportunities (ex: Dinner with the Board), how was it presented to you? I attended a dinner with the board and all emphasis was on starting teacher salaries and making salaries/pay for teachers and staff competitive.

LSR7 voters, is this how you expected the Prop C revenue to be distributed? Board members knew for weeks what Team Lee's Summit was proposing for salary increases, but they were not allowed to discuss it unless and until the full waiver passed. Starting teachers salaries will only increase $975. That's an average of $81.25 per month BEFORE TAXES. If you'd like to see the details of the salary increases, you can find them here: https://go.boarddocs.com/mo/lsr7sd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DSXH5C46C524
Do you think this is an acceptable distribution of raises? Would you have voted any differently had you seen these salary schedules BEFORE election day?

Last Thursday, only two days after the municipal elections, the LSR7 School Board held a special session to discuss and vote on the revised salary schedules since a full Prop C waiver passed at the ballot box. Board Member Bill Haley made it clear that he wished to see teachers and support staff receive all of the revenue generated by this tax rate increase. In his words, all those who are in the school buildings, so that includes Principals and Assistant Principals, but not central office staff.

He got plenty of pushback and stood alone as the only nay vote on the new salary schedules. Despite the district's insistence to the public to pass the full Prop C waiver to raise starting teacher's salaries, noting LSR7 being 13th in the KC Metro area in starting teacher salary, our starting teachers will only receive a raise of $975 while administrators will receive around $3000. Superintendent Dr. Buck will receive a raise at the same rate of the average teacher raise which is 4.27%. That equates to a raise of $12,247 for the 2026-27 school year.

The first year teacher salary increase only bumps LSR7 into 11th place on the list of the 13 KC Metro districts with highest starting teacher salary, putting LSR7 ahead of Kearney, Center, and Belton.

When and how will taxpayers hold LSR7 School District accountable for the revenue they already steward? Why aren't staff salary increases built into the operating budget? Dr. Buck says staff salaries are the number one priority, but how is that if the budget doesn't account for raises? The top priority in the budget should never be underfunded if it's actually prioritized.

Voters in Lee’s Summit will decide on April 7 whether to approve a full Proposition C waiver that would increase property taxes to fund staff salary raises at the LSR-7 School District.

Superintendent David Buck said the current budget would not give staff as much of a raise.

"Well without this, their raises will be below inflation at 2.3% per average," Buck said. "Whereas, if this passes it will be 4.1%. The number one priority is, 'Hey, we need to invest in our staff salary and benefits.'"

KSHB 41's Braden Bates reports: ⬇️