Lee's Summit R‑VII board approves preliminary FY27 budget after debate over community input and zero‑based budgeting

The Lee's Summit R‑VII Board of Education approved the preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget after extended discussion of how the district developed the plan and whether community and student input were adequately included.

The budget measure, presented as Item 6.04, passed by voice vote. Superintendent Dr. Buck described the district's use of zero‑based budgeting and the process of giving budget managers their prior year numbers, actuals, and requests while asking most departments to identify potential 10% savings in non‑salary lines. "Zerobased budgeting is you start at zero," Dr. Buck explained during the discussion, describing how principals and department leaders justify each line item rather than rolling forward prior allocations.

Why it matters: The district's operating budget is heavily weighted toward salaries and benefits — administration noted roughly $60 million in salary‑related costs this fiscal year — so the board's questions focused on whether cuts to supplies and contracted services are sustainable and whether the budget reflects student and community priorities.

Board member Sparks said the procedural and engagement gap mattered enough that she would not support the budget as presented. "Im not going to support thisbudget. Does not I do not support the work or do not support what we do," Sparks said, citing that policy DB indicates students and citizens should be engaged in budget formulation and arguing the district did not do so in a way she found adequate.

Administration told the board that budget managers began with the previous year's budgets plus actuals and that in early January principals and department leads were invited to build zerobased requests and consult building stakeholders. Administration also described efforts throughout the year — citizen advisory committees, business roundtables and chamber conversations — and said formal town halls on the tax‑rate question and budget would be held in August and September.

The vote: The board approved the preliminary FY27 budget by voice vote; the meeting transcript records the motion as passing but does not include a roll‑call tally. The administration said adjustments remain possible if the board later decides to alter assumptions tied to local tax options.

Next steps: Work sessions on the budget are scheduled before the board's September tax‑rate hearing, and the board will have opportunities to amend revenues or expenditures if it chooses to change assumptions about local taxes or the voluntary roll back.