Voters in the Wichita school district will soon decide on a $450 million bond issue that would close some schools and rebuild or expand others.
The election is Feb. 25; advance voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Why do Wichita district leaders say they need this bond?
Wichita operates more than 80 buildings, which is more than average for a district its size. Most were built decades ago.
The average age of Wichita schools is 60 years, and they need an estimated $1.2 billion in repairs or upgrades to major systems — electrical, plumbing, roofs, heating and air conditioning — that will soon reach the end of their expected lifespans.
Meanwhile, Wichita’s enrollment is expected to decline over the next decade or more. The plan would update buildings but reduce the district’s overall footprint.
What does the district plan to do with the bond money?
Here are details of the plan:
- Demolish and rebuild seven buildings on or near their current sites: Adams, Black, Caldwell, Irving and McLean elementaries; Coleman and Truesdell middle schools.
- Close four elementary schools and relocate students to nearby schools: L’Ouverture, OK, Pleasant Valley and Woodland
- Expand two elementaries – Cessna and Isely – into K-8 schools
- Renovate and repurpose Coleman Middle School into an alternative learning center
- Expand and repurpose Wells Alternative Middle School into a 6-12 alternative school
- Retire several buildings and relocate their special programs: Chester Lewis Academic Learning Center, Dunbar Support Center, Focht Instructional Support Center, Gateway Alternative Program, Little Early Childhood Center and Sowers Alternative High School.
- Build new Early Childhood Center
- Build new Future Ready Center focused on construction trades on the campus of East High School
- Add outdoor athletic fields at Northeast Magnet High School
District leaders call this a “zero-rate-change” bond issue. What does that mean?
Property owners in the Wichita district are currently paying on the bond issue voters approved in 2008. That 7.5 mills would come off of tax bills in 2029.
If the bond is approved, the same tax rate would continue through at least 2045 to finance the new projects.
School bond taxes on a $100,000 home would be $86.25 a year, or $1,725 over the life of the bond. Taxes on a $200,000 home would be $172.50 a year, or $3,450 total.
Bond opponents say the “zero-rate-change” claim is misleading because taxes likely will go up over time with increased property valuations. They liken it to paying off a car and then buying a new one, rather than pocketing the monthly car payment.
The pro-bond Yes for Wichita Kids campaign says the plan would reduce long-term operating costs by updating schools and consolidating resources. They also point out that Wichita has the lowest bond mill rate in the region — significantly less than suburban districts like Andover, Maize, Valley Center and Derby.
What happens if the bond issue fails?
Wichita district leaders said L’Ouverture, Woodland, OK and Pleasant Valley elementary schools would close in coming years whether or not voters approve the proposed bond because those buildings are inefficient and too costly to repair.
Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said the district will likely redraw attendance boundaries before closing more schools, and that the earliest they would close is fall of 2026.
District leaders said they would continue to chip away at their facilities plan as funding allows, but there likely won’t be enough money to pay for new schools or major renovations.
Wichita could do what leaders in the Kansas City, Kan., district did last year: After Kansas City voters rejected a $420 million bond in April, the district came back with a $180 million bond, which voters approved last November.
What happens with the district’s annual funding for building maintenance?
Wichita gets about $20 million a year in state funding earmarked for building maintenance, but leaders say that’s not nearly enough to keep up with repairs at all 80-plus buildings.
Facilities director Luke Newman said recent structural repairs at East High School cost more than $13 million — “and that’s just to keep the building standing.” North High School, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, required similar repairs, at a cost of more than $20 million.
Newman said crews continue to repair other schools as needed, often with patchwork plans that aren’t ideal for the long term.
“A lot of these systems haven’t failed yet,” he said. “But if we don’t start doing something more significant in terms of our facility investments, they are going to be failing at a more increased rate.”
What are opponents saying about the bond proposal?
Republican strategist Ben Davis established a political action committee, Wichita United for Better Education, to oppose the bond issue. The group says the Wichita school district should focus on basic maintenance and student achievement rather than building new schools.
Davis said the district has not fulfilled several promises from previous bond issues, and that spending has increased while scores on state assessment tests are below state averages.
Americans for Prosperity Kansas, a libertarian conservative advocacy group affiliated with Wichita billionaire Charles Koch, is also campaigning against the bond issue. A mailer from the group opposes continuing the bond mill levy and says taxes “should be used to drive outcomes.”
