Sprawl pressures on Eastern Jax Schools

Post by **dangerboy** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 12:05 pm

Here is an interesting tidbit - the Blue Springs School District says they have the biggest TIF load of any district in the state, approaching $400 million in tax revenue being diverted to developers. This is largely due to the TIF-subsidized development in southeastern Independence. I'm surprised that distinction doesn't go to a St. Louis or St. Charles County district, since that region is even more liberal with their suburban TIF subsidies.

http://www.examiner.net/stories/091703/ ... 3007.shtml

ShowME · Post by **ShowME** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 3:40 pm

Jones said most school districts are not opposed to development, they just want to be able to offset the costs of development. He said that's why schools vehemently oppose tax increment financing for residential projects. This type of TIF brings more students, but no immediate revenue.

Jones said the Blue Springs School District expects to double enrollment over the next seven years. So the biggest challenge for his district is creating space for this influx.

Double enrollment in the next 7 years? Where's the growth coming from? They're adding rooftops but I wasn't aware at that pace.

Post by **dangerboy** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 5:01 pm

ShowME wrote:Double enrollment in the next 7 years? Where's the growth coming from? They're adding rooftops but I wasn't aware at that pace.

Independence is putting in a ton of houses in the part of the city in the B.S. school district, such as 7 Hwy just north of Blue Springs and around Pink Hill and Woods Chapel Roads. The biggest chunk of that number is probably the Arcadia development in the Little Blue Valley. That school district will probably a third high school within five years.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 5:24 pm

Super fast growing north lee's summit is also in the BS school district. Ironically, most of the BS growth (out south) is in the LS district which is about is open a third HS and is already planning a fourth.

Anyway, that Little Blue Valley corridor in Independence is projected to add 20k residents in the next ten years and it's mostly in the BS district. Wierd.

Do the school districts in KS cross into other cities so much. I belive there is a law that city lines can not be school district lines as well. That is why there is so much overlapping going on, but I'm not sure if it's just a Missouri thing or what.

Post by **dangerboy** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 5:59 pm

A lot of the Little Blue Valley is in the Fort Osage district as well, probably even more than the BS district.

In Missouri school districts are independent political entities, they aren't tied to cities in any formal way. The confusing boundaries are a product of history. District lines were drawn up years ago, before most of this area become suburbanized. Places like Blue Springs and Lee's Summit were just small, rural towns, and the school districts encompassed vast amounts of land surrounding each town. As the towns became suburbs they annexed adjoining land, but they had no say over school district boundaries. It's just like when Kansas City annexed all of the far northern and southern areas - that land was already in an existing school district. It would be up to the school districts to alter their boundaries, and one school distirict isn't likely to give up territory just because it gets annexed by a city other than it's namesake.

KCforumer · Post by **KCforumer** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 7:39 pm

Do the school districts in KS cross into other cities so much. I belive there is a law that city lines can not be school district lines as well. That is why there is so much overlapping going on, but I'm not sure if it's just a Missouri thing or what.

Some Kansas school districts cross municipal lines. Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley are the most obvious in Kansas City.