School district levy campaign begins ahead of August election

By Jazmine Knight

A proposition on the August ballot is aiming to make the St. Joseph School District more competitive by providing salary increases to teachers and staff.

Currently, Missouri sits near the bottom when it comes to teacher and staff wages. Voters will have the chance to decide on Aug. 6 to approve Proposition S, which hopes to help recruit and retain teachers and staff with improved pay.

“It’s the teachers, it’s cafeteria workers. It’s the custodians. It’s the entire district,” said Kevin Kelly, president and CEO of Lifeline Foods and campaign co-chair for Proposition S.

If approved, the $0.59 levy increase per $100 assessed value would raise salaries by almost $2,700, which would be a flat-rate increase across the district.

“As a percentage, the people on the bottom end of the scale are disproportionately helped by this. So the $2,750 that we’re paying on a flat rate is actually going to help the lower end of the scale, much more so of a percentage than the higher end,” Kelly said.

Melanie Barnes, manager of veterinary services at Nestle Purina and campaign co-chair, said a pay increase is a desperate need.

“This moderate increase is going to help us be more competitive. The competition’s not going away,” Barnes said.

With this proposition, funds can and would go toward compensation for teachers and staff. This would keep SJSD up to par compared to other districts that are using other tactics to retain teachers.

“If you’re a veteran teacher or even a new teacher coming out of college, you’re going to check the marketplace,” Kelly said. “Frankly, most of the school districts around us pay more coming out of the chute, and their scale of wages is higher.”

Kelly said teachers can go just across the border to Kansas, Iowa and even Arkansas to receive a significantly higher wage.

“(Without Proposition S), we risk not having teachers,” Kelly said.

Proposition S would also help take some of the burdens off of teachers, campaign leaders said. With more than 120 vacant positions in the St. Joseph School District, many teachers are having to take on more responsibilities than usual. It’s even becoming harder to find substitutes for the district.

“(Those positions) are hard to fill if we can’t be competitive and pay,” Barnes said.

The pay increase will come with a property tax increase for residents. Even though Barnes thinks it’s a valid concern, she said “it’s time.”

“We have not put this, this elevation on our property taxes in over 30 years, I think 1982, it is a very modest increase in property tax,” she said.

Barnes projects the impact on property taxes to be minor.

“If you have a $100,000 home, it’s going to cost you about $9 a month. If it’s a $200,000 home, roughly $18 a month,” Kelly said.

Approving Proposition S would waive Proposition C rollback and allow for a raise in taxes. Out of more than 500 school districts in Missouri, SJSD is one of 26 that have not waived Prop. C.

“Most school districts in the state realize they risk going backwards in funding, even though the intent was to help school districts,” Kelly said.

For those without a child in the St. Joseph School District, Barnes pointed out that Proposition S still matters.

“Having a strong school district is the core to a strong community,” said Barnes.

And it’s not just about the schools. Barnes said Proposition S will also help attract employees to other businesses in the St. Joseph community.

“We thrive on having employees live here. And when they come and they don’t see a strong school district, they may want to go live somewhere else,” she said.

Otherwise, she said, St. Joseph risks losing employees to places like Platte City, Savannah and other surrounding areas.

Both Kelly and Barnes said this proposition isn’t a total solution but a step in the right direction.

If the proposition is passed, Proposition S is projected to be in effect starting the 2024-25 fiscal year.