Facing budget crisis, Hickman Mills seeks help from voters with $20 million bond
As the Hickman Mills School District in south Kansas City faces a $14 million budget shortfall that has forced recent job and program cuts, two upcoming ballot measures could lighten the district’s debt load and change the way it uses tax revenue.
District residents will vote on a $20 million general obligation bond in the upcoming April 7 election, along with a tax levy transfer.
General obligation bonds are usually used to fund public projects that won’t generate any profit, such as parks maintenance, road upgrades or, in this case, to pay down the district’s debt.
If both items pass, they would free up about $3.4 million in the Hickman Mills operating budget per year — a significant counterweight to the $14 million deficit currently plaguing the district.
The district has been assuring taxpayers that the changes would not increase the tax rate they’re paying the district.
District officials have been overwhelmingly supportive of the proposed ballot measures. An information page published by the district hails the $20 million bond and levy transfer package as “a sustainable path forward that keeps our schools strong and ensures our district remains financially sound for years to come.”
Though some Hickman Mills teachers have been mobilizing in favor of the bond issue on their own time, district leaders have been careful to instruct staff to avoid campaigning on the clock.
“Many HMC One Team members have asked how they can help share information about the upcoming Tax Levy Vote and General Obligation Bond,” the district’s FAQ page reads. “...On the clock - inform with facts. Off the clock - advocate if you choose.”
Interim Superintendent Dr. Dennis Carpenter was not immediately available to comment on the ballot questions.
Complementary bond questions
General obligation bonds, or GO bonds, borrow money against future payments the district collects each year from taxpayers. In this case, the first bond question would allow the Hickman Mills school district to borrow $20 million against future property tax payments collected within the district’s boundaries.
Jackson County residents who live in the Hickman Mills school district currently pay the district a levy rate of about $6.15 for every $100 of a home’s assessed value. A $100,000 home at an assessed value of 19% - the current rate - would result in $1,168.50 in property tax payments to the district.
A portion of that tax money goes toward the district’s debt service, and the rest goes toward the district’s operating budget.
The ballot questions would adjust how much of your tax bill would go toward debt versus school operations — lowering how much of your bill goes toward debt and increasing how much of it goes to operating expenses like teacher salaries and building improvements.
Of each property tax payment, $1.10 per $100 of taxable value currently goes toward the district’s debt service. The proposed $20 million GO bond would help pay bills and reduce the district’s debt, so the amount of taxes it needs to make its debt payments would also go down. If the bond passes, only 80 cents for every $100 of taxable value would go to Hickman Mills’ debt.
The first and second bond questions work together to determine what would happen to the leftover funding no longer being used for debt services. If the second question passes, the other 30 cents would instead go to the district’s operating budget.
The operating levy is currently about $5.05 per $100 of property valuation and would increase to $5.35 per $100. This shifting of funds would increase schools’ operating budgets without increasing tax rates.
April’s vote won’t be the first time that Hickman Mills asks voters to approve a substantial bond. A $30 million bond passed in 2020, and a $19 million general obligation bond passed in 2016.
District in debt
The proposed bonds aim to offer some financial relief at a time when the Hickman Mills school district is grappling with significant debt.
The Hickman Mills School Board voted in January to approve a sweeping series of cuts, eliminating more than 70 jobs along with dozens of district contracts and programs. Carpenter said at the time that the district was likely to close entirely within two years without significant cuts similar to those approved.
Two of the board members who voted for the cuts — Byron Townsend and April Cushing — are up for re-election on April 7. Board member Irene Kendrick, who cast the sole vote against the cuts, is also up for re-election.
The district was about $11 million in the red at the start of the school year, Carpenter said in January, part of which was due to alleged financial mismanagement by previous district leadership. That deficit grew to $14 million by 2026 due to abrupt changes to the Jackson County property tax system, which accounts for a large portion of the district’s revenue.
Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota has acknowledged that delays and late adjustments to the county tax system could have a “detrimental effect” on some area school districts. Independence School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Cindy Grant recently said that similar issues have undercut that district’s budget health by introducing a lack of stability in a long-term funding source.
The incoming cuts and changes at Hickman Mills are expected to save the district more than $12 million on top of the potential relief from the bond measures. At its current rate of spending, the district would be left with only 1.1% of its operating budget in hand by the end of the 2025-2026 school year, Carpenter previously said.
The district also opted to shutter a historic elementary school in an attempt to tighten operating expenses. Truman Elementary School will close in June – accounting for about 3 million in savings – with students rerouting to Alvin Brooks Elementary School for the 2026-2027 school year. Staff and operations cuts will account for $9.76 million in savings.
Meanwhile, all seventh and eighth grade students at Alvin Brooks – which is currently a middle school – will move to Hickman Mills Middle School, with Santa Fe Elementary converting into a sixth-grade center.
As it continues to seek financial relief, the district is also working toward full accreditation and participating in a state audit. The investigation stemmed from a whistleblower complaint about significant travel costs being expensed to district credit cards, according to Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick.
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 5:43 AM.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect the correct formula determining property tax payments in the Hickman Mills school district as a function of assessed home value.
