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Candidates at Parkway forum warn senior property tax freeze could squeeze district budget
Summary
Candidates at a Parkway School District candidate forum said a new St. Louis County senior property tax-freeze program is an unknown but potentially large revenue threat for the district and could force conservative budgeting and long-term planning changes.
Parkway School District school board candidates told voters at a League of Women Voters forum that a recently expanded senior property tax-freeze program in St. Louis County could materially reduce the district’s tax revenue and complicate budgeting for the coming year.
Jeffrey Spector, an incumbent Parkway Board member and candidate for re-election, said the county program allowing homeowners 65 and older to freeze their property-tax bill at 2024 levels will “directly impact Parkway” and that county officials had warned Parkway could be among the most affected districts. “Because of that, we will not be getting that increased revenue that we would expect to get year after year,” Spector said.
John Kilper, a candidate and longtime volunteer with Parkway, said he met with the district CFO and learned the uncertainty forces a conservative approach for next year’s budget because tax impacts will not be clear until October or November—after the district’s fiscal year begins July 1. “That’s tough to budget when you have a fiscal year that starts on July 1,” Kilper said.
Mia Robinson and Ali Seacote also named the tax-freeze and its unknown magnitude as a top near-term concern. Robinson said the district must plan for an uncertain financial future and added that enrollment declines and pending legislation could compound budget pressure. Seacote said Parkway will need to “take a conservative approach” as staff and the board evaluate the impact.
Candidates said the tax-freeze, combined with aging facilities and enrollment trends, will require the board and administration to consider conservative budgeting, prioritize spending choices and continue community outreach to explain trade-offs. No candidate proposed a specific budgetary change at the forum; several said they expect the district CFO and administration to present options as more revenue data becomes available.
Background and next steps: Candidates said county timing for reporting the tax-freeze’s effect will likely mean the district must set an initial budget without final revenue numbers and adjust later in the fiscal year. At the forum, candidates urged voters to follow district budget updates and said the next board and administrative steps will be to model scenarios once the county publishes impact estimates.
No formal action or vote occurred at the forum.
