The Kearney School District Board of Education recently placed Proposition S, a proposed 45-cent property tax increase, on the Aug. 8, 2023, ballot to help achieve the highest priorities that were identified by our constituents during the strategic planning process.

Increase safety and security
Prioritize all employees by increasing compensation and benefits
Focus: Safety & Security

Safety and security are a source of genuine concern for students, parents/guardians, staff and community members. The message received during the strategic planning process was loud and clear: parents/guardians, staff, and students identified safety and security as among the districts most important priorities.

The school district spent time over the last year taking a close look at safety and security policies, procedures and measures. Steps have been taken to make improvements within their current resources, including updates to entry procedures and the relaunch of collaboration with local law enforcement agencies. The district engaged in this work concluded that adding safety personnel would be a priority moving forward.

The Kearney School District currently has one School Resource Officer (SRO). This person has operational authority over nine campuses and the central office. Response time during an incident could be as much as 10 minutes.

If Prop S is approved, a portion of the levy increase will be used to add up to three additional safety and security team members, which would reduce response time by about 75 percent. Each of those staff members would be assigned to specific schools. These staff members will also be able to coordinate in response to a potential major incident. It is anticipated that it will cost approximately $200,000 annually to retain three additional safety and security team members.

The school district will share additional details next week about why we want to prioritize all employees by increasing compensation and benefits, and how – if voters approve it – Prop S will help us achieve that goal.

Residents are invited to an informational open house about Prop S from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, at the Kearney School District central office, which is located at 425 W. Washington St. This event will be an opportunity for members of the public to have one-on-one conversations with district leaders about the Prop S ballot initiative.

Residents can also visit ksdr1.net/PropS to learn more about Proposition S.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story