Chase Hoskins
Business Manager/ Digital Media Manager
The Webster Groves School District approved a 65-cent tax levy to appear on the November ballot to help combat an operating funding deficit.
The Webster Groves School District faces a projected $5 million funding gap in 2026-2027, driven largely by “increased insurance costs, reductions in state funding, and the impact of the senior property tax freeze,” according to a newsletter from the Webster Groves School District sent via ParentSquare.
The projected $1.7 million reduction in state funding stems from state budget shortfalls and Missouri state planners overestimating revenue from gaming and lottery. This created a $478.9 million education funding gap at the state level over two years, coincident with falling enrollment due to an aging Webster population and a falling birthrate. The $5 million budget gap also stems from a $1.4 million increase in health insurance premium costs and an estimated $500,000 in lost revenue due to the senior tax freeze.
Proposition W would cost approximately $125 per 100,000 of appraised home value or 65 cents for every $100 of assessed property value. The proposed Tax levy would still put Webster Groves School District in the bottom half of tax rates in St. Louis County.
Proposition W proposes a 65-cent tax levy increase to provide operating capital to “retain high-quality educators, protect academic courses and student programs, and protect extracurricular activities from future cuts,” according to a district newsletter.
A spring 2026 survey, WGSD Finance and Community Feedback Report, of 1,700 residents found that nearly 70% of residents “strongly” or “somewhat” support a 65-cent tax increase.
Over the past three years, the district has saved $2.5 million by cutting 30 staffing positions and reducing building and department budgets by 10%. An article on Proposition W by the Webster Groves School District states, “the district is at a point where gaps cannot be closed without making significant impacts to classrooms, staff and student programs.”
A tax rate rollback triggered by the Missouri Hancock Amendment directly prevents local revenues from increasing at the same rate as assessed real estate values, making the district lower taxes when property assessments rise faster than inflation. The law ensures revenue neutrality and stops taxing authorities from receiving a large portion of money from homeowners. This law has caused Webster’s tax rate to fall from 5.755 to 3.9604 since 2011.
School District budget deficits are not unique to Webster Groves. According to an article in the St.Louis Business Journal, the Special School District of St. Louis is currently facing a budget deficit of $75 million and $83 million. The St. Louis Public School District is also facing a budget deficit of $41 million. Missouri as a whole faces a $345 million shortfall in state funding.
