[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6115077,"mediaKeyId","2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9","parentId",2740009,"title","Board approves resolution signaling intent to place Prop C proxy on April 2026 ballot","audioSeconds",2758,"startMs",2088000,"endMs",4846000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9&start=2088&end=4846","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9/thumbnail_2088000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6115077/Missouri/Board-approves-resolution-signaling-intent-to-place-Prop-C-proxy-on-April-2026-ballot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115077-d3e6cc742c8b80b493f1084b023fcfa7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094243&Signature=M4yaYl5yy~Lhyz0DaY5G-tEpWk5zid2-U6wnJD-M~m8a7N7a5IJoD1ZG06oDaeWaLUEZkRxjmyf5Xdcl2cAiPyKn5xoExQrO5uZ79D89rnt8KLnyO~vFY0MWmRYYePMuFAXNfFBtDeG2MhBAfxejwF-ShZfNJT5jjN9U1cqeUGxHup42BzkEXbOmcCBsJtHEADLlh8mkNPq2NEKSLYoplpGYE4b8Vf5OcdqN9YYXBrate0W~j-qFtKY8kdVHW8UH4KzZgHdoEpqpHEvg5OBPcjUapgTDMuURSnzo4QhvTo5O-mp~Ii~16tQ3nfzI1gSR-D5PtvXvIdm-3t8j9H3KJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-21T13:59:15Z","article","The Lee's Summit R-VII Board of Education on Monday approved a resolution of intent to place a proxy question related to the district's Prop C rollback on the April 2026 ballot.

The board approved the motion after a roughly one-hour discussion that centered on whether to hold a vote in August 2025 or April 2026, how clear ballot language should be, and how any proceeds would be applied to employee salaries. Board Member Miller moved to approve the resolution of intent; the motion was seconded and the board voted to approve the item.

Board leadership and staff said April 2026 better matches the district's timing needs and outreach plans. Superintendent Dr. Buck said counsel Ben Thompson, who drafted the intent resolution, advised against placing full ballot language more than a year in advance and recommended an intent resolution. Dr. Buck told the board putting the question on an August ballot would cost an additional \"over $100,000\" and could create timing problems: \"If we do that in August, we would collect the money next year, but we would be unable to give it [to salaries] because we had already started contracts. Correct, Joe? So, we would collect money for the intent that we couldn't do.\"

That timing, Dr. Buck said, is the principal reason the administration and board leadership now support an April 2026 vote rather than August 2025. Board members asked that the final ballot language clearly explain the tax implications for voters: Board Member Haley said he would support placing the question on the ballot \"as long as it is transparent to the voters of what we're doing.\" Dr. Buck also cautioned the board about technical accuracy, saying counsel warned the tax rate could fall or rise depending on timing and other factors: \"We don't want to say your tax rate will go up, because it may actually go down. It depends on when it's passed and what's happening at that time.\"

On the fiscal side, administration said Team Lee Summit's most recent package recommended roughly $6 million in funds for salary improvements, including an approximate $560 increase to the teachers' base pay and other base adjustments. Dr. Buck said the $6 million equates to about a 3.42% average raise for teachers next year and that an approved Prop C waiver in addition could have produced roughly an additional 2.5% on average for teachers (administration described that as approximately $4 million in added capacity, depending on the final package). Board Member Heslick emphasized the district's intent to use any additional funds to make \"targeted raises for certain subsets of our staff who are lagging in the bottom third,\" not only blanket increases.

Board members also said they were trying to honor the Citizens' Advisory Committee recommendation, which had been split narrowly on timing. Miller said the resolution was presented to \"honor the CAC recommendation by putting forth this item\" and that board leadership had pushed the item back onto the agenda to reflect that recommendation plus new information about timing and ballot language.

The resolution of intent does not contain final ballot language and Dr. Buck said bond counsel and staff plan to work on language that clearly explains the implications for voters. Bond counsel Ben Thompson authored the draft; Thompson was not in attendance. David Carlson, the district staff contact working with the outside study on support and administrative salaries, told the board the outside study will produce preliminary results this summer and a fuller Team Lee Summit presentation in the fall.

The board approved the resolution of intent by motion; the official ballot language and any specific levy figures will be brought forward at a later meeting.

Notes on procedure: Board members debated the motion in open session before voting. The intent resolution is a signal by this board to place the question on the April 2026 ballot; it is not the final ballot language and does not by itself enact any tax changes.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","LSR7 Board of Education Meeting -3/20/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Lee's Summit R-VII Board of Education on Monday approved a resolution of intent to place a proxy question tied to Prop C on the April 2026 ballot.","taxTitle","Lee's Summit R-VII, School Districts, Missouri","taxId",13566,"location","Missouri","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6115064,"Residents urge board to back teachers, improve transparency during public comment",1125,1884000,3009000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9&start=1884&end=3009","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9/thumbnail_1884000.jpg","/articles/6115064/Missouri/Residents-urge-board-to-back-teachers-improve-transparency-during-public-comment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115064-46e86fa2b26866287004773b74de08ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094243&Signature=fXZIk6QCD5d30MsuHONO1vmOSIsuf6ofzryMcRYTyFVWQqLer518DT0kO9Zyjt5eAaHFPDUFQ69N5NfS38Du8PFAD9baXWg65UxrYVFpA5iPkGKjtud6IV0ZrMjj9UUc43LiYKb~BemXeJE2E9fEKzutZDcx5ATW1jFy~5FYq6-4o2BGC7XgZQ91NzTjIpncd5KaKjzM3CyeBg9vhhdtIUUefKfMDe-A4Ua-jshd9EkFnNFatiwlz98-OMdKeisTlflBqigBcT2fwbu8jLGWr0sphv9jGDjN41GR4MetC0mVnDbRM02WVXKIrawz7cbg-i6RfkiOw2IkkWPKOKfMhA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the public-comment portion of Monday's Lee's Summit R-VII board meeting, several speakers urged the board to support educators, be transparent and prioritize academic and staff needs over political rhetoric.

Erin Gregory, identifying herself as a Lee's Summit parent and taxpayer, opened the period with a broad critique of the board's recent actions: \"If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything,\" she said, and later accused some board members of \"pandering to extreme partisan groups.\" Gregory criticized the board for opposing placement of Prop C on the ballot earlier in the year and for questioning library staff without what she called adequate preparation.

Devoya Marshall of Strengthening Education Together described an experience a substitute teacher had in a district building and said the board's votes against some professional development and social-emotional learning measures amounted to votes \"against students and against public education.\" Marshall urged voters to consider candidates who back staff and inclusive learning.

Other commenters made a range of points. Leon Wetherbee thanked board members for their service and highlighted advocacy work by board officers at the state level; Bess Hales, a district French teacher, asked the board to continue focusing resources on academics and highlighted the district's high number of State Seal of Biliteracy recipients as evidence of strengths in bilingual education. Donna Gordon warned that large numbers of delinquent property tax listings could strain the local housing market and urged the board to consider community tax burdens when deliberating district funding.

Nikki Nickens called for accountability from elected officials, pointing to two recent instances where she said a group of board members changed votes within days: the decision about placing the proxy question on the ballot and a contract-extension vote. Nickens urged the public to press state legislators at a planned legislative breakfast on whether they would support public schools and the state foundation formula.

Speakers represented a mix of parents, teachers and local advocates. The board's public comment rules (policy BDDH) were read at the meeting's outset; the board does not respond to comments during the meeting but may pursue follow-up with the superintendent.

","During public comment, multiple residents criticized recent board actions on Prop C, staff contracts and library inquiries and urged support for public education, targeted pay raises and professional development.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6115068,"Votes at a glance: agenda adoption, fund transfer, treasurer's report and consent items approved",61,3385000,3446000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9&start=3385&end=3446","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9/thumbnail_3385000.jpg","/articles/6115068/Missouri/Votes-at-a-glance-agenda-adoption-fund-transfer-treasurers-report-and-consent-items-approved","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115068-2661b0e3846e928ad0e5840225d2524b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094243&Signature=HJ0gTxpXfFU3wsPshiW0QIBC~Op0qacuIoMYwRkcqTV9Xri-eEtL1LAVJdjQFCcKkeE~c-efdvDisVB6xcDyIGneAo2tXUegRozT9X~pnBNgMa0Je1JIC1hk~vstmZWngp~W1v9BuwdxAFtPlk3BD0QfyRbW2j8-gAiqyWEWb1lhnJM8afML~ZjbfC8iRjGMfdgnItTmSzRPJrJaeGkyczCQ1~jAgE-sKv6GulyAj6qfhH82PSJd6NbZzGAkMvx7cU35NL5NQ4~XOrm1FCqPs8P9fWGnuEmgQ5h1w2Nm1EwiQS536n9qhlw6UDqvQvOP38HYy5whRUCx4FWubl5nbg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lee's Summit R-VII Board of Education on Monday approved several procedural and fiscal items by voice/hand vote.

The board unanimously adopted the meeting agenda, then approved a transfer of $4,460,223.64 from the General Fund to the Special Revenue Fund. The motion to transfer funds was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote. The board then approved the treasurer's report and payment of bills and approved consent agenda items 7.01 through 7.17.

Each motion was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript. The transfer motion was presented by a board member during the finance committee updates and described on the record as: \"I moved to approve the transfer of $4,460,223.64 from the General Fund to the Special Revenue Fund.\" The board then voted, \"All those in favor, raise your hand and say aye. Aye. Motion passes.\" The treasurer's report and the payment of bills were approved in the same manner, and the consent agenda passed with a similar voice vote.

These approvals were routine and were taken without extended discussion; the board moved on to subsequent agenda items after each vote.","At the Lee's Summit R-VII board meeting the board approved routine procedural items including agenda adoption, a $4,460,223.64 transfer from the General Fund to the Special Revenue Fund, the treasurer's report and payment of bills, and the consent agenda items 7.01 through 7.17.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6115073,"Student support team reports growth in counseling, pre-K and mental-health partnerships",1048,4913000,5961000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9&start=4913&end=5961","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2740009-b3d1bd9001d19c94f2b624c893f207d9/thumbnail_4913000.jpg","/articles/6115073/Missouri/Student-support-team-reports-growth-in-counseling-pre-K-and-mental-health-partnerships","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115073-a04e19cd255ef938b82ca20b9beddd0b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771094243&Signature=lAWQ5OFQ9cIJC8WtRPbRv6PZKxPWO3DELzq7dCdVsiiVc1B7V3XskX92iR3mpeEGkH5asCWqjy0dpzMb2PfDHCsWNP6yniAMsJaWRvLUdaXv0GC8wIMMEryRJOYuEH1E2z6VdMzN~y2jdivBmsVI3PsChqH9HwwI8VcXHvphQr7KAuxmdu4GFAsoLmJTJ~dHSkGkevZfSsBZDah39htFxg4Ip~0~P67vIXQ70m1Q7m39oDqLYux51z8a4kf-HtVxu9cGzvuF5lDq-W-xzb-2zwVBRVjvXfBtTGsVP7l5Ecf9HnzyGcMY3uhll0zZ9ATtHSNPqnahbMaxuJsdQM4neQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The district's Student Support Department told the Lee's Summit R-VII Board of Education on Monday that counseling, mental-health partnerships and the district-run pre-kindergarten program have expanded and that staff continue to work on targeted interventions for students.

Director Jessie Segan presented an annual program evaluation that listed personnel, program models and enrollment or caseload figures and described several community partnerships. \"My name is Jessie Segan. I'm the director of student support,\" Segan said while introducing the department's team and their programs.

Key figures and programs Segan cited include: 29 focus-room interventionists across the district; 1,315 Section 504 plans districtwide; 93 students enrolled in the district pre-kindergarten program in its first year; a Missouri Quality Pre-K grant of about $1,300,000 that funded free access for families; and a startup grant of $450,000 that helped launch the program. Segan also said the district partners with two school-based health agencies at no cost to the district: Burrell Comprehensive Mental Health (332 families enrolled) and Rediscover (70 families enrolled). Segan told the board that those agencies bill Medicaid and private insurers and keep grant funds for families without coverage.

Segan described staffing: one counselor assigned to each of the 11 elementary schools (with several buildings at 0.5 counselor levels), three full-time middle-school counselors, five at each high school, a counselor for the district's online program, and mental-health therapists assigned across buildings. She noted that some district job titles do not match other districts', which complicates apples-to-apples salary comparisons.

The director highlighted the CASEL-based and district social-emotional learning curricula used at different grade levels and said the department is tracking climate and culture data via DESE's recent standards. Segan said the district's Burrell partnership is fully phased in and that Rediscover was added last year; families choose whether to participate. \"We just added Rediscover last year,\" she said.

Board members asked clarifying questions. Board Member Miller asked whether the Trauma Smart program could be implemented districtwide; Segan said Trauma Smart costs about $50,000 per building and the program depends on future Jackson County Children's Fund grant awards. Board Member Myers asked for detail on how positions were classified for the 'bottom third' salary comparisons; administrators said an outside study is underway and some titles were removed from the bottom-third list when they were found to be misclassified.

On school-counselor duties, Segan said counselors track time across four categories (curriculum, individual planning, responsive services and system support) and that roughly 7-13% of reported counselor time the district logged this year was spent on \"non-school counseling task activities,\" a number the director said she would investigate further and report back.

Segan closed by noting local recognitions: two counselors were named regional Greater Kansas City School Counselors of the Year and staff members were honored as support professionals of the year. The board received the written report and asked staff to return with further detail on some workload and classification questions.

","The district's director of student support reviewed program staffing, partnerships with Burrell and Rediscover, the first year of a district pre-K program funded by a Missouri Quality Pre-K grant, and data on counselors, interventionists and 504 plans.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves resolution signaling intent to place Prop C proxy on April 2026 ballot

Residents urge board to back teachers, improve transparency during public comment

Votes at a glance: agenda adoption, fund transfer, treasurer's report and consent items approved

Student support team reports growth in counseling, pre-K and mental-health partnerships