No-Tax-Increase Ballot Propositions - Park Hill School District

Protecting Your INvestment in Park Hill Quality with No Tax Increase

The Park Hill Board of Education placed Proposition I and Proposition N on the April 5 ballot. Together, these questions mean no tax rate increase, and they would allow us to maintain the community's investment in our facilities and bring them up to date. They would also let us build a 12th elementary to help us move students out of classroom trailers and maintain class sizes. And they would help us maintain our high-quality school operations, including keeping our staff salaries competitive, so we can recruit and retain the best teachers and support staff.

Paid for by the Park Hill School District

What's on the ballot

The Park Hill Board of Education placed Proposition I and Proposition N on the April 5 ballot.

Proposition I:

Proposition I would allow us to maintain the community’s investment in our facilities and bring them up to date. It would also let us build a 12th elementary to help us move students out of classroom trailers and maintain class sizes.

Proposition N:

Proposition N would help us maintain our high-quality school operations, including keeping our staff salaries competitive so we can recruit and retain the best teachers and support staff.

I+N=No Tax Increase:

Together, these questions mean no tax rate increase.

Protecting your investment

Our Park Hill facilities represent a $1 billion dollar investment by our community. Protecting your investment in our schools means keeping them up-to-date and in good working condition.
Good schools mean strong property values. Maintaining the high quality of Park Hill schools protects the investment we’ve made in our homes.
Investing in updated and improved buildings now will benefit many future generations of students and homeowners.

Park Hill quality

For many generations, providing high quality schools has been a source of Park Hill pride. Our schools are the backbone of our community. That is why Park Hill is a destination district for those moving to our area.

Our plan would provide each student with comparable experiences and opportunities from building to building by making sure we have parity between our facilities.

We want to ensure all our facilities are as up-to-date as our newest buildings. This means updating and adding space for our . . .

classrooms and learning spaces
spaces for students with special needs
spaces for fine arts and performing arts
playgrounds, fields, gyms and athletic facilities
safety equipment
cafeterias and restrooms
professional development and meeting spaces

We also have plans to build a new elementary school to help us transition Park Hill students out of classroom trailers and to protect our class sizes.

To maintain Park Hill's quality, we want to maintain competitive pay and benefits to attract and retain the best teachers and support staff and to maintain class sizes.

No tax increase

We have an opportunity to take care of our schools without increasing our property tax rate.

There are school districts all over the state and nation that wish they could make these kinds of needed improvements without increasing the tax rate.
This is possible in Park Hill because the Board has carefully managed taxpayer dollars and restructured debt to pay it off sooner and meet our educational needs.

For 20 years, our operating tax levy has stayed at the level voters approved in 2002 or even lower.

This two-question proposal would allow us to keep it at that same 2002 rate while making needed updates.
Our community gives us high ratings on value, even with one of the lowest tax rates in the Kansas City, Missouri region. Only one district has a lower tax rate. This allows us to keep that low tax rate while protecting Park Hill quality.

Vote on April 5

What the No-Tax-Increase Ballot Propositions Would Pay For

Click on the images to learn highlights of the projects in the no-tax-increase ballot propositions.

New elementary school

Classrooms and learning spaces

Classroom for students with special needs

Spaces for students with special needs

Spaces for fine arts and performing arts

Playgrounds, fields, gyms and athletic facilities

Safety equipment

Cafeterias and restrooms

Professional development and meeting space

Frequently Asked Questions

Get the answers to your questions about the no-tax-increase ballot propositions.

About the need

Q: If the no-tax-increase ballot proposals do not pass, what will happen?

A: We would need to increase our use of classroom trailers, and class sizes might become an issue. We would need to defer maintenance, especially if economic conditions impact the budget. Our tax rate might become more volatile from year to year.

Q: If the no-tax-increase ballot proposals do not pass, will taxes go down?

A: Park Hill’s tax rates might not go down, even if the ballot proposals do not pass. The Board makes this decision annually based on the latest information.

Q: How does the quality of the schools affect property values and the local economy?

A: Realtors agree that a good school system attracts buyers to an area. Many home buyers ask about the school district before making a decision. Because the Park Hill School District is highly rated and has a good reputation, property values are higher here. In addition, companies that are considering locations for new businesses insist on a good educational system for their children and their employees’ children. Because of the quality of the Park Hill schools, several large businesses have chosen to locate in the district.

About our long-range planning

Q: How much is Park Hill growing?

A: We’ve had growth over the last 30 years, and even though growth has slowed during the pandemic, we have enough students now to need another school – they are in trailers. Census data shows that we have large numbers of young children who will soon enter our schools. We’ve also seen growth in our number of students with special needs and in gifted programs, and they need specialized spaces.

Q: How was the long-range facility plan developed?

A: Because we planned ahead for expected growth, we started creating an enrollment-based long-range facility plan several years ago. With extensive feedback from students, parents, teachers, support staff, administrators and the community, the Board developed a plan to address the need to maintain our current facilities and make sure that each student has comparable spaces, with parity between buildings.

About the money

Q: What will the cost be for individual taxpayers?

A: These ballot proposals require no tax rate increase. Your property’s assessed valuation and your taxes from other local taxing authorities could affect your personal tax bill.

Q: How is it possible to issue bonds without a tax increase?

A: Thanks to good financial management by the district, Park Hill is in a position to ask for a bond without raising taxes. This is a result of aggressively paying off existing debts and refinancing for better rates in recent years. Local commercial and residential growth has also helped, by expanding the local tax base. Because of these factors, we have room to take on additional debt with no tax increase. We will continue to carefully monitor our debt and interest rates to save taxpayer dollars. Our debt is well below our state-set limit.

Q: How can these ballot proposals result in no tax increase?

A: Legally, the district cannot move money from our debt service fund to our operating fund on our own, so the Board is asking voters to change the ratio between our debt service levy and our operating levy. State rules and regulators have rolled back our operating levy from the level where voters set it in 2002. To get it back, the voters have to act to reset the levy ceiling.

Q: When will Park Hill ask taxpayers for another bond or levy?

A: We will monitor enrollment, particularly high school enrollment, which is closest to needing additional space in the future. If we need this, it might mean expanding the LEAD Innovation Studio or turning it into another full high school.

Q: Has the district made any other adjustments to the tax rate?

A: Since 2002, when the voters approved a $4.99 operating tax levy, the Board has rolled back the levy several times, saving taxpayers money. After some voluntary rollbacks and some rollbacks required by state law, the operating levy is now $4.4046, well below the number that voters last approved. The total levy, including both this operating levy and the debt service levy, is $5.3955. We’re asking voters to take the $4.4046 back to $4.99, as they set it in 2002. This change will come from the debt service levy, resulting in no overall tax increase.

Q: How does Park Hill’s tax rate compare to other local districts?

A: Park Hill’s tax levy ranks 11th out of 12 area suburban school districts:

Fort Osage: $6.3700
Raytown: $6.3200
Grandview: $5.9557
Liberty: $5.9277
Blue Springs: $5.7286
North Kansas City: $5.6663
Center: $5.6557
Hickman Mills: $5.5074
Lee’s Summit: $5.4837
Independence: $5.4371
Park Hill: $5.3955
Platte County R3: $5.0193

About the ballot language

Q: What is the actual language on the ballot?

A:
PROPOSITION I
Shall the Park Hill School District of Platte County, Missouri, issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $137 million for the purpose of constructing, acquiring, improving, renovating, furnishing and equipping new and existing school facilities including but not limited to the construction of an elementary school and acquiring land?

If this proposition is approved, the debt service property tax levy of the school district is estimated to not exceed the current debt service levy of $0.9909 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation of real and personal property.

PROPOSITION N
Shall the Park Hill School District of Platte County, Missouri, be authorized to increase the operating property tax levy ceiling to $4.9907 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation according to the 2021 assessment for the purpose of paying general operating expenses, such as operating, maintaining, and staffing school facilities?

If this proposition is approved, the adjusted operating property tax levy of the school district is expected to increase by $0.2700 from $4.4046 to $4.6746 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation; however, the estimated overall District adjusted property tax levy is expected to remain unchanged at $5.3955 per one hundred dollars of assessed valuation as a result of an expected corresponding reduction to its debt service property tax levy.

Q: What is a bond issue?

A: A bond is an authorization for a school district to go into debt and to establish a tax rate to pay off the debt over time. The bond pays for capital projects like facilities and equipment, and may not be used for regular operational costs like salaries or supplies.

Q: What is an operating levy ceiling increase?

A: This does not mean we are increasing overall taxes. Voters would give the Board the authority to raise the operating levy ceiling back to the level they set it in 2002 and to reduce the debt service levy by the same amount. This would result in no overall tax rate increase.

About the election

About voting

Q: When must I register to vote in order to be able to vote on April 5?

A: Voters must be registered to vote by March 9 in order to vote on April 5. For more information about registering, see the registration page on the Platte County Board of Elections website.

Q: When and how can one vote by absentee ballot?

A: Absentee ballots are available by downloading a request form from the Platte County Board of Elections web site and mailing it to the Platte County Board of Elections.

Q: Where do I vote?

A: Your voter card that the Platte County Board of Elections sent you will tell you this, but if you cannot find yours, call the Platte County Board of Elections at 858-4400.