Water Damage Restoration in Lee's Summit, MO

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LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — Last month, the Lee's Summit R-7 School District announced a proposal to close Lee's Summit Elementary School with West View Elementary.

The proposal comes as the two schools had declined in enrollment.

November's PTA meeting had past, present, and future families outraged at the districts decision.

A month later, neighbors near Westview Elementary are sharing their concerns with the district's proposal.

"Leave Lee's Summit alone — it's in an area where it's not as congested as it is here," said James Briscoe, who lives in the area. "We don't like to come out, and watch while getting in your car because you might get hit."

Briscoe is a life-long Lee's Summit resident and has lived near West View for four years. He attended Lee's Summit Elementary as a child.

"There's more history there than there is here," he said.

He and his wife are concerned at Westview's current flow of traffic on Ward Road.

Briscoe says the current roadway can't handle the current student body at drop off and pick up time each day.

He explained parking is limited during regular school days and special events.

"They fill that parking lot up and it's up and down the street," he said. "They have three or four sessions of drop off and pick up, but there's so much traffic going in it defeats itself."

During a November presentation, district leaders outlined the plans for a proposed $225 million bond issue slated for a vote in April 2025.

Portions of the bond issue would be allocated for modifications to student day-to-day learning centers, classrooms, and parking, but it doesn't include updates to Ward Road.

A spokesperson from the Lee's Summit School District told KSHB 41 the city is responsible for Ward Road upgrades.

"The history of Ward Road improvements actually goes back prior to an election in 2017. We identified a number of corridors that could use some improvement, principally some non-motorized improvements," said Michael Park, director of Public Works for the City of Lee's Summit. "Our voters approved Ward Road being one of those projects in 2017, well before we heard any conversations about school closures or school mergers."

On the 2017 ballot, voters renewed a capital sales tax, approximately $6 million from the tax renewal, and $900,000 in federal funding, supplementing the Ward Road Project.

"We're going to add all those other elements of accessibility to the public and surrounding neighborhood so they can have the value of the resource that ward road is," Park said.

Park told KSHB 41 his department was first made aware of proposed school closure or mergers in October.

He says his department viewed versions of the schools' proposed plans and provided minor recommendations.

The city of Lee's Summit says upgrades to Ward Road won't conflict with renovations to Westview Elementary.

The City of Lee's Summit expects the Ward Road project undergo construction in Summer 2025.

"In that area, I'm sure there will be more traffic," Park said. "I do really think it's an opportunity with the school having a new proposed site plan and better use of the overall property to make improvements to the operations on Ward Road safer."

The Citizen's Advisory Commitee will present its final recommendation to the school board Thursday night at 5:30 p.m.

Lee's Summit School District is expected to make a final decision on the use bond funds on Dec. 19.

For more information on the Ward Road Project, click here.

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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Lee's Summit families are upset with the district's proposal to close an elementary school

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. — On Tuesday night, parents and community members in Lee's Summit demanded answers on a recommended closure of Lee's Summit Elementary School.

"I was blindsided," said Chris Winburn, the parent of a future Lee's Summit Elementary student. "We move from out of state specifically to downtown Lee's Summit — one of the biggest things when we were looking to come back to Kansas City was school districts, particularly elementary schools."

A few hundred people gathered in the Lee's Summit Elementary gym for the parent-teacher association meeting.

The group's president addressed the crowd, detailing the possible closures timeline.

"The LSR-7 District CFMP Executive Summary, dated June 2024, does not state anywhere in the document about closures and consolidations," said Valerie Salazar, the PTA president.

Following a 20 minute presentation from the assistant superintendent of the Lee's Summit School District, the floor opened for questions from the public.

Many were concerned about transparency in the district office, mental health of students, and job security.

"Westview and Lee's summit elementary have been declining for quite some time," said Dr. Dave Buck, superintendent of the district. "They're both in the 200 range — Lee’s Summit Elementary may drop below 200."

During the district's presentation, administration outlined the project's decision making process, following a year-long comprehensive facilities master planning process.

The district and its citizens advisory committee (CAC) will narrow the plan for a proposed $225 million bond issue slated for a vote in April 2025.

LSR-7 admin told KSHB 41 the bond measure would not affect tax payer's wallets.

"We have three choices — we can do nothing, and then as the building continues to climb, we're going to have to pull staff out and put them in other parts of our district, and that means class sizes will go up and the services go down," Buck said. "We can do nothing for now but in a year make this decision, then we won't have one building big enough to take all the families at one spot instead of splitting up among multiple schools, or we do this now to upgrade and expand Westview Elementary to take on both populations."

The largest component of consolidating the schools is enrollment.

According to the district's presentation Tuesday night, Westview and Lee's Summit Elementary have seen a 10% decline in enrollment from 2023-2025.

LSR-7 leaders claim consolidating the two schools would create greater academic achievement among it's student body, better learning spaces, and maintain adequate class sizes.

"We don't want to split up the families, and we don't want to split the community," Buck said. "It's a beloved community."

In a recent report, Salazar told KSHB 41's Claire Bradshaw district administrators did not warn or consult with PTA leaders ahead of its recommended closure.

On Tuesday night, Lee's Summit School District offereed one-on-one interview with local media partners with Buck ahead of the PTA meeting.

KSHB 41 asked why the PTA was involved in the conversation.

"It went straight to citizens' advisory committee, and they made decisions of recommending it to the board," Buck said. "We decided to add extra steps last week and the week prior to engage staff and community."

KSHB 41 asked if the administration's decision would be final, and if families could change the decision of its recommendation.

"Obviously, they have a voice," Buck said. "That's why we're meeting tonight. I'm glad they're passionate. They're glad they love their school."

Buck explained he and other administrators would stay as long as possible to answer questions during or after the Tuesday PTA meeting.

During the PTA meeting, Buck and assistant superintendent Dr. Steve Shelton did not veer from their talking points, leading to several outbursts from the crowd.

The two consistently reassured family member that students are their number one priority.

Many questions from the audience stemmed over the abrupt nature of the school district's decision.

"I'm trying to be as transparent and forthright as possible about a very difficult decision," Buck said.

Remaining Timeline of LSR-7's Proposal:

Nov. 19 - CAC Meeting; will finalize recommendation for the use of funds for the bond.

Nov. 21 - LSR7 Board of Education Meeting.

Dec. 5 - LSR7 Board of Education work session meeting; CAC final recommendation will be presented to the members of the Board of Education.

Dec. 19 - LSR7 Board of Education meeting (final decision on use of funds for the bond issue will be voted on).

April 2025 - General Election anticipated to include the LSR7 bond issues

The district says it will not sell Lee's Summit Elementary and plans to re-purpose the site.

If the plan is not approved, LSR7 anticipates two outcomes: close Lee's Summit Elementary in the future and redistributing families between multiple attendance areas or reducing staff, which would increase class sizes and reduce services.

If it is passed, students would attend school at Westview Elementary in 2028; teachers and staff would go with the students, with a few staff members being placed around the district as a job opening becomes available.

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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. (KCTV) - A consolidation of two Lee’s Summit Elementary Schools could be the district’s only hope of saving them from closure, according to the superintendent.

Lee’s Summit parents are getting the opportunity to speak out about a potential consolidation of two of its elementary schools on Tuesday night.

The district says a new campus will give students access to modern facilities and will address declining enrollments at both Lee’s Summit Elementary and Westview Elementary schools. The plan would be to move students from both schools into a renovated building by fall 2027 or 2028.

Last week, parents told KCTV5 they had concerns about Lee’s Summit Elementary moving out of its neighborhood, making it less accessible to students who walk to school.

KCTV5 raised these concerns to the district and they told us existing buses will be able to accommodate the estimated 30 walkers and bring them to Westview. As for what’s contributing to declining enrollment, the district says living in downtown Lee’s Summit has become increasingly more expensive for families.

READ MORE: Parents in Lee’s Summit mobilize to stop elementary school merger, district leaders argue it’s needed

“This is hard. This is hard for them. It’s hard for us. I wish the population wasn’t declining there but we’re worried about meeting the services, needs of the students so we have to figure out a way we could continue to keep our high standards for service for our students,” said Lee’s Summit R-7 school district superintendent David Buck.

According to the district, parents expressed concerns about two things. One is concerning children who live walking distance to Lee’s Summit Elementary. Another is regarding traffic concerns on the streets surrounding Westview Elementary.

The district said existing buses will be able to accommodate the estimated 30 walkers and the city will conduct a traffic study.

“The feedback we’re receiving we’re trying to figure out how to best help the families with the concerns and also alleviate their concerns so some concerns would be well, we’ll have to hire more buses, no we will not. But other things like how do kids get home, from activities, and so we’ll problem solve and work with families in that,” said Buck.

The district says a final recommendation will be made next Tuesday by the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. They will present to the Board of Education in December, who will decide whether or not this will become a potential $225 million bond issue on Dec. 19.

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.

The mayor of Lee's Summit addressed resignations of all the city's housing authority board members.

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo — In the past several months, the Lee's Summit Housing Authority (LSHA) has been subject of a federal audit conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

There have been accusations of former staff members shredding sensitive documents and complaints from property owners about late housing assistance payments.

Now, the housing authority is in the middle of a wave of resignations from the top down. The executive director left in September. Every board member followed last week.

While the city of Lee's Summit has no oversight of the housing authority since it is a federal agency, the mayor does appoint board members.

Lee's Summit Mayor Bill Baird accepted all of the resignations in a closed session Tuesday night. It's unclear why their decisions were all made at once.

KSHB 41 attempted to contact all of the board members. Only one volunteer shared what led to their departure.

"I appreciate their service — some of them had been on the board for decades," Baird said. "They just were in a tough situation and it was time for a reset and we're gonna reset."

In closed session, Baird also appointed one new board member.

Heather McKinney, a grant writer for the city, will be one of five new members to join the housing authority.

"I'm working really hard to get them in a position to be taken care of," Baird said. "I am passionate about affordable housing. This is not easy for me. This is heartbreaking for me."

Tenants in the city's public housing have said they went to board members and a revolving door of executive directors for years about unhealthy living conditions and a lack of accountability.

Many of tenants felt ignored by leadership. They placed some blame on the mayor who appoints the board.

"I'm not the type of person to say, 'Oh, I don't have regrets,' because its just the opposite. I go over and over and over — 'Did I do it the right way? Did I give it my best?" Baird said. "We may not be over them, but we do want to help."

The mayor said the city is currently waiting for results of an on-site compliance audit at the housing authority conducted by HUD in October.

"We want to know what has happened," Baird said. "We don't have the ability to go in and look at their records; we don't have any oversight or any jurisdiction, but it's part of Lee's Summit."

A HUD spokesperson shared a statement with KSHB 41 about any investigations or reviews into LSHA.

"We are working to ensure all of the families we serve have access to the quality, affordable homes they deserve. From rooting out discrimination in housing to ensuring our nation's public housing stock are safe, quality places to live, HUD is working with the Lee's Summit Housing Authority to make sure these residents are well-served," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Beyond the recent issues, he acknowledged the housing authority has been on the city's radar for the past year.

"We do CDBG [Community Development Block Grant] funds and we were trying to get compliance," Baird said. "It was a tough decision, but we couldn't fund their next request because we couldn't get compliance. It's not a lot of money, but we had money for repairs and renovations."

The city of Lee's Summit posted the vacant board positions here. The mayor said they are searching for experienced applicants who live in the city.

They prefer applicants with government experience, skills working with state/federal funding, experience hiring an executive director for a nonprofit and people who care about affordable housing.

The new board members will be responsible for hiring a new executive director to replace the interim.

Baird hopes the process will be complete by the end of the year.

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KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including neighborhoods in Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. Share your story idea with Alyssa.

Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — Some parents have been left with more questions than answers after Lee’s Summit School District announced plans to consolidate two elementary schools.

The consolidation would mean the closure of Lee’s Summit Elementary School; a school residents say provides necessary resources for the community. LSE would close and students would move to the renovated Westview School.

Just a year after Brittany Shumate and Chris Winburn moved to downtown Lee’s Summit, one of their kids was set to attend LSE. They claim the consolidation isn’t beneficial at all.

“We want to try and keep this school as the heart of the community like it has for decades before,” said Winburn.

Additionally, they’re worried about the long-term impacts of closing the school.

“Families that may not be able to physically get their children to school or have the transportation needs, how does that impact them?” Schumate asked.

When families know that they don’t have a walkable school, does that change their investment decision on if they are going to help renovate and repurpose older homes in the area?” Winburn questioned.

Winburn and Schumate aren’t the only ones with signs up in their yards, protesting the consolidation. Another parent, Valarie Salazar, says she sat on a committee last year with the goal of coming up with a list of needed repairs for LSE.

“During that process, we were always told that this was not about closing and consolidation, but this was about repairs and renovations, and quote, ‘dream big,'” she explained.

The school district claims that the merge is due to declining enrollments at both schools, and there are more projects than the proposed bond could cover.

The combined schools would keep a Title One status, and continue to receive federal funds for serving low-income families.

The school district says no jobs will be lost, and they plan on repurposing the land that LSE sits on, not selling it.

Still, parents feel out of the loop and want their voices heard.

“Why this abrupt timeline?” asked Salazar.

“Why were we never part of this discussion? Why Lee’s Summit Elementary? Why closure of an elementary?”

Schumate went on to explain how the process seems rushed.

“It’s valuable real estate, it’s downtown Lee’s Summit,” she said.

“Just down the street, they’re building the big farmers market. The timing, the lack of notice, and the lack of time to do something, it doesn’t feel right.”

That timeline is getting tighter, right now recommendations for a $225 million bond are being finalized which could include the consolidation. It will then go before the board of education by the end of the year.

If approved, it’ll be in front of voters in the April election.

The design of the renovated building and site are set to start immediately in hopes of opening in fall 2027 or 2028.

The district claims that if the plans are not approved, it could result in LSE closing in the future or a reduction of staff.

FOX4 reached out to the district, but it was unable to provide a response by the time of deadline.