Voters pass Lee’s Summit funding measure to raise teacher salaries
Voters approved the Lee’s Summit School District’s Proposition C property tax funding measure that would provide around $4 million to pay for raises for teachers and staff.
Unofficial election results from Jackson County, Cass County and Kansas City on Tuesday night showed around 60% of votes cast in favor of the ballot measure.
“We are grateful to our community for participating in this important decision,” Superintendent David Buck said in a statement Tuesday night. “This outcome reflects our shared commitment to investing in the people who maintain our strong, competitive school system.”
In asking voters to approve the measure, the district said that its teacher pay lags behind other area school districts. The district said its teacher starting pay of $44,180 ranks 13th out of 22 Kansas City-area school districts.
The measure asked district voters to OK a full waiver of an operating tax rollback. Passing that, the district said, will generate between $3 million and $4.5 million each year to fund increases in teacher and staff salaries and benefits. The district said the measure would cost a homeowner around $23.90 more each year for each $100,000 of home value.
The ballot measure relates to Proposition C, a 1% statewide sales tax approved by voters in 1982 that generates education funding. Districts are required to roll back their local tax levy proportionally to the amount they receive from that funding unless voters approve districts keeping the additional funding. The district had operated under a partial waiver that was approved in 2008.
This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 10:03 PM.
