By Kathy Feist
The Hickman Mills School District is exploring the closure of Truman Elementary School at the end of the current school year as a cost-saving measure.
During an afternoon work session held on November 21, the school board explored potential cost-cutting plans after discovering a $12 million short fall in the projected budget.
The plan to close Truman Elementary School is projected to save around $3.7 million. It would involve repurposing Alvin Brooks Middle School into an elementary school for Truman students and converting Santa Fe Elementary into a sixth-grade center.
A second option considered during the work session involved closing Ingels Elementary School, turn Alvin Brooks Middle School into a sixth grade center. It would bring with a $3.3 million cost savings.
The board was clear on its decision to not reduce or eliminate teachers’ salaries in the budget process. However, some office and custodial positions could be eliminated.
To increase funding, the board is considering placing a no-tax increase bond on the April ballot.
The examination of funds follows the release of positive student performance scores from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Hickman Mills’ score of 80.5% this year and 72.7% the previous year are high enough to earn a full accredited status. The school has been rated provisionally accredited (scoring below 70%) since 2012. Only one more score above 70% is needed to meet DESE’s requirements for reaccreditation.
Hickman Mills’ scores have seen an increase in the past few years after voters in the district approved a $20 million no tax increase bond and a tax levy in 2022. The levy allowed for a 25% increase for teachers and staff, which helped attract and retain talent to the district.
Money raised from the bond allowed the district to close Symington and Johnson elementary schools.
Many school districts in Jackson County are experiencing a drop in revenue due to decreased property tax revenue.
In an interview with the Telegraph in July, former Jackson County Chief of Staff Caleb Clifford shared that Hickman Mills property taxes would generate a decrease in aggregate value, which will affect the school district.
In September 2024 Hickman Mills’ aggregate assessment value from both residential and commercial property was $588,295,225. This year that amount decreased to $579,973,939. “This change reflects decreases in personal property, successful appeals, and most significantly, the State Tax Commission’s 2025 order requiring Jackson County to cap residential property increases based on a percentage-increase formula rather than actual market value,” Clifford shared.
While residential property owners may pay less tax this year, commercial property owners will pay more. In Hickman Mills, which is economically challenged, there are fewer commercial properties to offset the loss of tax revenue from real properties.
In data provided by the County Clerk, the 2025 assessed aggregate value for commercial property was only around $168 million compared with $404 million from residential property. (For a comparison with the 2024 data,
In addition to county revenue, there is also a decrease in student population. Enrollment was down 380 students last year– 4,981 students in the 2023-24 school year compared to 4601 in 2024-25.
Hickman Mill’s Board of Education will make a final decision on the fate of Truman Elementary School in January.
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