USD 469 taxpayers will gather in Lansing to hear a presentation on the 2024-2025 budget that will exceed revenue-neutral.
A year ago, an 11th-hour switched vote by Board Member Mary Wood to adopt a revenue-neutral property tax position for the 2023-24 budget saved taxpayers, but Superintendent Marty Kobza is proposing a 21% increase in district-imposed property taxes for this school year.
We asked Superintendent Marty Kobza how he justifies a 24.5% tax increase on the amounts decided by the school board considering that:
- Administration spending increased by about $1 million (33%) since 2021, when enrollment has declined
- Employment is growing while enrollment is declining (no data is available for 2025)
- Operations and Maintenance is 140% higher than in 2021
We also asked for an explanation of new “Other” expenses and why the district is increasing the Bond & Interest property tax by more than 75%.
Superintendent Kobza did not respond to our questions. This summer, without authorization from the school board, he donated $400 in school funds to the “Lip-Sync Battle” sponsored by the Leavenworth-Lansing Chamber of Commerce and benefitting area scholarships.
