Each Friday leading up to Election Day, we’ll share answers to common questions we’ve received about the proposed 30-cent tax levy increase in Proposition KNP. Whether you’ve asked directly or we’ve seen something on social media, we’re here to provide clear, accurate, factual information to help our community stay informed.
July 4, 2025 Friday Facts
(New questions from two town hall meetings held on Monday, June 30.)
Q1: How much additional revenue will be generated for the school district based on the Johnson County reassessment? How much revenue will be generated if Proposition KNP passes?
A: Proposition KNP is anticipated to generate approximately $240,000 annually, to support 8% of the total cost of the new Knob Noster High School, with the remaining 92% of the project being funded from federal funds. Most importantly, if approved, this increase in local tax effort will protect approximately $3.5 million in annual Federal Impact Aid funding which requires the local tax effort to reach a specific amount in order to demonstrate “fair share” funding between local tax payers and the federal government. Currently, local tax payers contribute approximately $2.7 million annually and Federal Impact Aid contributes approximately $8.5 million annually to support Knob Noster School operations.
If Proposition KNP is passed, the reassessment will produce approximately $240,000 annually.
It is VERY important to note that Senior Citizens who applied for and who are granted the tax credit exemption will not see in increase in taxes if Proposition KNP passes, based on correspondence received from the Johnson County Assessor.
Q2: Is the amount of federal funding for Knob Noster calculated the same as the amount of federal funding that Waynesville receives?
A: Yes. Both districts are funded in the exact same manner regarding Impact Aid. The significant difference is that the Waynesville School District has a student enrollment that is approximately three times larger than the student enrollment in Knob Noster. Accordingly, the Waynesville School District recognizes around three times the ”excess” federal revenue from Impact Aid than does Knob Noster. In both districts, the excess federal revenue beyond yearly operational expenses is used to support school construction projects. Below is a photo of the Waynesville High School which was constructed in 2003.
Q3: If senior citizens applied for the Senior Property Tax Relief Program before the deadline and were approved, will they have to pay the reassessment increase and the Prop KNP increase in 2025?
A: Based on conversations with the County Assessors and following a thorough review of county ordinances in Johnson and Pettis counties, it is the district’s understanding taxes for qualifying senior citizens who have applied for and who have been approved for the tax credit will NOT increase if Proposition KNP is passed.
The district encourages voters to reach out to your county assessor’s office (Johnson or Pettis) with specific questions. Links to the county assessor’s offices regarding the senior tax credit program are below.
Click Here for Johnson County Assessor
Click Here for Johnson County Assessor Senior Tax Credit Page
Click Here for Pettis County Assessor
Click Here for Pettis County Assessor Senior Tax Credit Page
Q4: How are you feeling about the community support/opposition for Proposition KNP compared to Proposition K?
A: Proposition KNP represents a SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED request from the board of education as compared to Proposition K of April 2024. We live in an amazing community filled with hard working and supportive parents (civilian and military, alike) of our nearly 2100 students, most of whom value, respect and appreciate the role that Knob Noster Public Schools plays in terms of how we serve and care for their children, how we add value to the Whiteman Mission, and how we serve as the largest employer in the Knob Noster community, bringing jobs and payroll into the community to circulate and support our town and our local businesses and contractors. The return on investment that the community will receive from the passage of Proposition KNP is tremendous. We have logical, intelligent, caring citizens who have historically supported our students and our school as a critical hub for our community. We feel our community will see the value, will see the board has listened and has responded with a far more reasonable request, and that ultimately this will pass, allowing the district to address a whole host of issue in this comprehensive plan which will serve our community and our installation for the next 75-100 years, or beyond.
Q5: Is the $5 million in new revenue (over 20 years) projected to be received from the Knob Noster taxpayers based on the current tax rate and assessed valuation or will that amount grow over time?
A: The anticipated revenue of $240,000 annually ($5 million over 20 years) is based on the current assessed valuation of approximately $78 million and based on a tax rate of $3.80, if voters approve Proposition KNP.
June 13, 2025 Friday Facts
Q1: Do you know what those eligibility requirements are {referring to school districts who are receiving “heavily impacted” Impact Aid federal funding like Knob Noster}?
A: This is an excellent question. Maintaining the district’s eligibility for 7003 (b) 2 Impact Aid (Heavily Impacted) is the most important reason the board has placed this item on the agenda.
Unfortunately, state law does not allow the ballot language to include language relating to Impact Aid on the ballot. Otherwise, the ballot would absolutely include this language.
Below are the relevant excerpts from the Impact Aid Law:
Heavily Impacted Payments under Section 7003(b)(2) Impact Aid Handbook Version 1.0
Heavily Impacted LEAs that enroll certain percentages of federally connected children and meet other specific statutory criteria, will receive an increase in their formula payments under Section 7003(b)(2).
Eligibility Criteria LEAs must be eligible for a basic support payment under Section 7003(b)(1). With a few exceptions, there are two ways for an LEA to be eligible for Heavily Impacted funding.
One set of criteria applies to LEAs who received a Heavily Impacted payment for FY 2001 and one set of criteria applies to LEAs that did not.
Reminder: ADA stands for Average Daily Attendance and PPE stands for Per Pupil Expenditures. The Impact Aid Program obtains the comparable PPE and tax rates from the LEA’s state.
Eligibility for LEAs that Received Heavily Impacted Funds in FY 2001
Federally connected ADA is greater than or equal to 35 percent of the LEA’s Total ADA
Tax rate is greater than or equal to 95 percent of either:
A. State average tax rate, or
B. Tax rate for comparable LEAs.
Currently, the Knob Noster School District Tax Rate is $3.50
Currently the State Average Tax Rate is $4.21
The district utilizes “Option B” to identify a cohort of comparable districts (LEA’s) from the 520 districts across the state to maintain eligibility. However, the process to achieve this eligibility through this process is difficult and ultimately is left to the discretion of the Impact Aid program regarding whether or not they accept what is presented. In addition, the threshold for attaining this eligibility is very limited. As other districts across the state continue to pass tax levy increases, it causes our levy to be even lower, comparatively, which continues to be a SIGNIFICANT concern for the district. This has been discussed at length with the board in public meetings over the last five years. The passage of Prop KNP is anticipated to protect the district’s 7003 (b) 2 funding for a decade, and possibly beyond.
Comment1: Maybe I’m wrong but by my estimation the sports complex would cost around $72 million.
Response: The entire proposed project (School, stadium remodel, and new stadium components) is $70 million. Proposition KNP requests an 8% increase to property taxes which will produce $240,000 in additional revenue annually to support the remaining project components which are not being funded through federal sources. If passed, Proposition KNP will fund 7% of the total project cost.
Q2 (multiple parts): Why are two stadiums less than a mile apart needed? Is there data to support interest, sufficient athletes and coaches, and budget for adding these sports? Do we need an additional large location for games/meets/tournaments, or would an additional practice field with some bleachers and lights meet the current vision? In the past 5 years, how many times have we been unable to host regular season games/meets for our current teams due to conflicts? Stadiums aren’t cheap so spending a million dollars on hopes and dreams (which is all I see so far, but I’ll see what’s presented in the upcoming weeks) appears irresponsible when there’s greater needs facing the tax base.
Q3: We do need to support our school, but do we really need a new football stadium? Didn’t we just spend a lot of money fixing up the current one?
Comment2/Q4: A mere 30 cents….that would make my county taxes go up $800-$900 per year. I’m all for supporting the school, but be realistic. How much money was just spent on the football field, stadium, and track improvements….that were needed, but will kinda be over kill for Jr High sports, don’t you think? Wouldn’t the money spent on the improvements gone a long way towards the price of a new stadium?
The following response is provided for Questions 2, 3, and 4 and Comment 2:
A: This is a valid question and one that is contextual. While there is no recorded data to support the need, there is absolutely observational data that should be familiar to anyone who has visited KNHS any given weeknight in the fall when sports are in play. For instance, a normal day in the fall often sees the following load on the existing single facility at the high school:
- A varsity soccer or middle school/JV football game on the turf field
- High School Football Practice on the practice field
- Volleyball inside the gym
- Tennis practice or games on the tennis courts
- Youth football transitioning onto the practice field as other practices end
- Youth Cheer transitioning to the front lawn for practice as other practices end
- Robotics and JROTC practices occurring in their indoor/outdoor facilities
- Other stand-alone events occurring from time to time.
One of the main challenges the board seeks to accomplish with the second stadium and auxiliary fields is to spread out the load which is singularly placed on our existing footprint. A MAJOR issue of concern is the very limited parking, pedestrian traffic flow, and the existing safety concerns that exist when this much activity occurs in one location…especially with traffic and students of all ages moving throughout the area with no separation of traffic and pedestrian foot traffic. Of course, this is the way it has always been….but the recent growth in the number of sports and the number of students enrolled in our schools has significantly increased the demand on this space, and the corresponding concerns for safety. Realigning this space to address middle school activities would significantly help alleviate this space.
Along with the issue above, it is important that students have this outdoor space during the school day for Physical Education, Band, JROTC, Sports, etc.
Last, in an age where Open Enrollment is expected to pass any given year, the quality of sports facilities will drive parental decision on which school they will choose for their children to attend. Nearly ALL of our neighbors and our peer competitors in the conference have recently invested significantly in their sports facilities.
June 6, 2025 Friday Facts
Q1: How much is this tax levy? It is not explained in this post or the other information?
A1: The Board of Education is proposing a 30 cent proposed increase. This proposed 30 cent increase would be an 8% increase to your property tax bill. This proposed tax is less than one quarter of the increase which was proposed by the Board in 2024.
The details on the specific amount of the proposal were added to the Facebook post text to further bring attention to the details provided in the post which linked viewers to our school district website: https://www.knobnoster.k12.mo.us/districtinformation/proposition_k_n_p
Q2: The post says 30 cent levy, 30 cents on what?
A2: Local tax support for a school district is produced from property tax. The 30-cent proposal represents the increase proposed in Proposition KNP to the current levy of $3.50. If approved, the local school tax levy would move from $3.50 to $3.80. Currently the Knob Noster School District tax levy is the LOWEST in Johnson County and among the LOWEST of the 40 school districts in the region. If the proposed increase is approved, the Knob Noster Public Schools tax levy will remain the LOWEST in Johnson County and among the LOWEST in the region. Currently, the district tax levy is 38% lower than the regional average. If approved, the district’s tax levy will remain around 30% lower than the regional average.
Q3: Is there somewhere that the breakdown is actually posted so voters can understand the impact, or is it meant to be foggy?
A3: The link to our school district website provides information about how the proposed increase will fund restored components of the new high school project and protect Heavily Impacted Impact Aid funding for the next 10 years: https://www.knobnoster.k12.mo.us/districtinformation/proposition_k_n_p The link to our website also indicates that supporting information and presentations regarding Proposition KNP will be available the week of June 9, 2025. https://www.knobnoster.k12.mo.us/districtinformation/proposition_k_n_p/proposition_k_n_p_useful_links The Facebook post and link to our school district website also invites community members to any of five community meetings about Proposition KNP. https://www.knobnoster.k12.mo.us/districtinformation/proposition_k_n_p/prop_knp_town_hall_meetings The proposal and related information is not meant to be foggy in any way, and our desire is to be transparent. We are happy to assist in calculating the impact to your individual taxes. Examples of the tax impact will also be provided during the community meetings and on the Proposition KNP Useful Links webpage the week of June 9, 2025. The district is also offering 1:1 meetings with any voter/taxpayer who would like more information. Just contact the district office at 660-563-3186 or email [email protected].
Q4: Where can I find a breakdown of the current taxes that are being paid? Is this part of the city tax we are already paying?
A4: Cities and Schools are two completely separate entities with completely separate taxes. School tax levies and city taxes are not related. You can find a breakdown of the current school taxes you are paying on your property tax receipt which you receive from the County Assessor near the end of each year. School taxes are levied on real and personal property. City taxes come in a variety of forms, including sales tax. City tax questions can be directed to the City of Knob Noster.
Q5: Is this the same amount that was on the ballot last year?
A5: No, it is not the same amount that was on the April 2, 2024 ballot. The proposed increase in 2024 was $1.30. The proposed increase in Proposition KNP in 2025 is $0.30. The current proposal is less than one quarter of what was requested in April 2024.
Q6: Didn’t we just get our taxes raised? … we are already one of the highest counties taxed in the state.
A6: Knob Noster voters approved a $3.50 school tax levy in 2013. The tax levy of the district has not exceeded $3.50 since 2013. During this period of time, the levy has actually been LOWER than $3.50 for seven of the ten years since voters approved this levy as a result of a utilities pipeline which, by state law, caused the levy to decrease. A detailed presentation will be provided at the community town hall events and online which specifically demonstrates that the local tax levy for Knob Noster Public Schools is, in fact, the LOWEST in the county and among the LOWEST in the region. If the proposed tax is approved, the local tax levy for Knob Noster Public Schools will in fact remain the LOWEST in the county and remain among the LOWEST in the region
Q7: In what ways is this proposal different from the last one?
A7: This proposal is different in several ways:
1) The proposed increase is over 75% LESS THAN the proposed increase in 2024 ($0.30 vs. $1.30); The proposal represents an 8% overall increase as compared to the 38% increase which was proposed in 2024.
2) The proposal moves the local tax contribution for the project to 7% with 93% of the project cost originating from federal funds. In 2024, the district proposal represented 24% local funding with 76% of the project costs originating from federal funds.
3) If passed, for every 7 cents of local tax effort for the project, 93 cents of federal funds will support the project. The proposal requests local taxpayers to provide 7 cents on the dollar to support this project.
4) In 2024, the district requested local tax support to fund 24% of the total project. When that request was not approved, the Board of Education moved forward with the Academic-Only components of the project in order to meet the educational needs of students. Accordingly, the following components that were removed from the project following the April 2, 2024 election outcome: Wrestling Building, New Stadium, 8-lane track, synthetic sports field, youth sports fields, and auxiliary agriculture and manufacturing spaces. The current proposal would allow those components to be added back into the project, so that the project is completed in full, as originally proposed.
5) The current proposal includes one new component: the refurbishment of Miller Field (behind Knob Noster Elementary).
6) Lastly, the ballot language cannot legally include a reference to Impact Aid eligibility. However, it is important to note that the district is required to meet a certain threshold of local tax effort in order to remain eligible to receive “heavily impacted” Impact Aid.
With the Knob Noster Public Schools tax levy being the lowest in the county and among the very lowest in the region, it is clear that our local tax effort is placing our eligibility for “heavily impacted” Impact Aid at risk. If passed, Proposition KNP will protect Knob Noster’s eligibility for this critical funding stream for the next 10 years. The district receives approximately $3.5 million annually in “heavily impacted” Impact Aid.
Comment1: It’d be nice if they’d include a before and after school program before a turf football field…something that is really, really needed.
Response1: Typically, school districts do not run before and after school programs. Districts typically allow outside businesses or partners to use their facilities after school to provide before and after school care. The district also recognizes that some of the most successful businesses in our community rely on before and after school care as a portion of their business model.
Five years ago, the district evaluated standing up a before/after school program in-house and at the same time evaluated standing up a preschool. The district chose to move forward with a preschool which now offers free preschool programs for families which were not previously available to the district. The standup of this program was funded by a $1.0 million grant from DoDEA.
Q8: Why dump all that money into the stadium when they could’ve essentially moved the stadium to the new high school location? It sounds like another money grab.
A8: The current high school stadium was already overdue for maintenance of existing turf and track surfacing which had reached nearly 15 years of use and had reached end of life. Renovation of the stadium seating was also necessary due to the safety risks associated with the concrete bleachers that were poured 40 years ago and were significantly deteriorating, resulting in unsafe conditions.
It is important to note that the current stadium site has significant challenges and obstructions, including: surface drainage issues in the parking lot, flooding, subterrane drainage issues, lack of adequate parking for high school events (especially nights when multiple activities are occurring at the same time), no designated sidewalks or pedestrian pathways into the stadium, grandfathered ADA accessibility issues, steep terrain challenges, restrictive neighborhood proximity, encroachment of the creek/ditch on the north end of the stadium footprint, non-standard (narrow) track lanes, no ability to add an “eighth” track lane for larger meets, and no track safety lane, among others. Altogether, these issues are not able to be addressed without a complete demolition of the existing stadium and a complete reset of the footprint. These challenges, along with the acknowledgment that this single football field does not adequately meet the demands of our existing programs, resulted in the board choosing to add a second field.
Originally, Proposition K proposed that the existing stadium would be refurbished as scheduled (track surface, track repair, and field surface replacement) with a new 500 seat bleacher set, resulting in this field aligning to middle school and youth sports activities.
When Proposition K was not approved, the board had no choice but to change the plan (a plan that had been discussed for over five years) and build this stadium grandstand back to handle varsity events, knowing this decision would create redundancy.
Timing was critical with this decision. Action had to be immediately taken to address the field and track surfaces which had reached end of life. However, it was also noted that the collateral damage of demoing and reconstructing the stadium seating would impact the track and field. Accordingly, the decision was made to do this all at once, to help alleviate any damage that could occur to a brand-new turf and track project.
Q9: My question: how much money did the District spend on the renovation of the current high school stadium knowing full well the district was planning to ask for more money at the new high school complex?
A9: The school district originally held a budget of $2.7 million for the existing field, track, and stadium refurbishment/repair/replacement. This budget was approximately $1.5 million for track and field repair/replacement and $1.2 million for stadium replacement.
When the district was forced to quadruple the stadium size following the unsuccessful Proposition K in 2024, the budget increased significantly. As a result, the stadium replacement costs doubled, resulting in a total project cost of $3.9 million.
The costs associated with replacing the grandstands along with the significant restrictions this site poses to adequately accommodate high school events were significant factors that influenced the board’s decision that a new stadium was needed. The seven-lane track, parking, accessibility, and pedestrian traffic issues all remain unchanged following this project.
The bottom line is the demand for space far exceeds the playing field and practice fields we currently offer.
Comment2: I would like to see an end date on the levy or make it a bond that specifically goes to the specific projects by line item.
Response2: Both Proposition K (2024-failed) and the current Proposition KNP propose the use of a tax levy increase rather than a bond issue. The reason a levy is being proposed rather than a bond is exclusively because a bond issue (Fund 3 tax levy) does not count toward the district’s local tax effort as it relates to eligibility for Impact Aid. This 8% increase to taxes will produce approximately $240,000 annually, but will protect over $3,500,000 annually in Impact Aid revenues.
Comment3: BUT there is a potential for a 5-10% assessment increase this year from the county, so it is going to end up being substantial. I’m waiting to hear from the assessor’s office for solid information.
Response3: The district receives notification from the County Assessors in late July regarding assessed valuations. To date, the district has not received any notification from either county assessor (Pettis or Johnson) regarding an increase in assessments.
Comment4: I want to see if a raise was written into this one, too.
Response4: The Board of Education approves increases in compensation for all employees in the first quarter of each year. Neither Proposition KNP nor Proposition K – 2024 had any tie to compensation for any employee whatsoever. Proceeds from a voter ballot initiative can be used ONLY for the purposes listed on the legal ballot language.
Q10: It seems this proposal includes everything except education. Will all of this raise test scores?
A10: Following the unsuccessful Proposition K of 2024 which requested Knob Noster taxpayer support for 24% of the total project, the Board of Education moved forward with the academic-only portions of the project to demonstrate that education remains our top priority. The only exception is the current construction underway that includes the FEMA Storm Shelter which comes in the form of a monolithic dome gymnasium. This single sports component was supported through a $5.25 million FEMA grant secured by the district administration. The academic portions of the project will be home to academic programs of the district which have been funded by over $10 million in unique grantmaking/fundraising by district administration over the last decade.
Proposition KNP is almost exclusively related to the sports components which were removed from the project. It is important to note that many community members, parents, families, and students view sports and extracurricular as a VITAL part of a comprehensive program. In many cases, families will choose which school district they will live in largely based on athletics and extracurriculars. This is not an opinion, this is reality. With open enrollment likely to pass in Missouri at any time, the appeal of sporting programs and sporting facilities is an important consideration for the school district, city, community, and property owners as we look toward the long term growth and prosperity of our community.