Voters in the Wichita school district now have a better idea of what a potential November bond issue could look like.
On Monday, district staff recommended the Wichita Board of Education approve a $615 million bond referendum. Staff chose the plan from among three initial options after collecting feedback from community members in April.
“This bond proposal is ultimately about shaping our future through investment — for our students, for our schools and for our community,” said Deputy Superintendent Gil Alvarez.
“This includes safe and modernized learning environments, strong future-ready career pathways and improved student experiences across the district.”
Key projects in the proposal include improving heating and air-conditioning systems across the district, rebuilding several elementary and middle schools and preserving Wichita’s six oldest high schools.
The three largest individual projects are rebuilding Coleman Middle School ($106 million) and Truesdell Middle School ($103.9 million), and converting Chisholm Trail Elementary School in Park City into a K-8 school ($81.3 million).
If the school board votes to accept the recommendation at its meeting in June, voters will get the final say on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
“A bond proposal that goes before a community is a test to the community on whether or not we truly believe in the future and the youth of our community,” Board President Stan Reeser said.
The plan would divide the projects across two ballot questions: the first totaling $407.1 million and the second totaling $207.9 million. The first question could pass on its own, but the second one would be contingent on the first one passing.
If both questions pass, the district estimates the plan would raise taxes for a house worth $200,000 by about $50 per year. If only the first question passes, the district said it would not impact property taxes.
Multiple members of the public addressed the school board about the potential for a bond issue at the meeting on Monday.
Rebecca Armstrong, who works at Northeast Magnet High School, said the district did not adequately consider teacher input when crafting the bond.
“In a process like this it’s really important to engage the community at the very beginning, not well into the plan,” she said.
“You (the district) come with the bond proposal and say, ‘What do you think?’ not ‘What do you think we can do to solve these problems?’”
Luis Rodriguez shared an opposing perspective, praising the district for the process of developing the bond.
“It’s usually more like the plan gets built behind closed doors and then it gets presented to the public, and Kelly (Bielefeld)’s team did it a different way,” he said. “I think it’s a masterclass in how we engage community dialogue.”
Lavonta Williams, a former Wichita City Council member and current vice president of the local NAACP, said she will support the bond but is disappointed that it doesn’t include an early childhood center at the site of the former Chester Lewis Academic Center in northeast Wichita. That was one project in the bond issue that failed in 2025.
“That was something that we were looking forward to,” Williams said, “but with this bond, it will become an empty site.”
“This building was one of four buildings that African-American students could attend many years ago and it remains in the historic McAdams area. What’s next, Dunbar?”
Voters narrowly rejected a $450 million bond referendum in February of last year.
While the dollar amount is about $165 million higher this time around, Wichita Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld said that’s a reflection of rising building costs.
“The overall amount and numbers that we’re throwing around tonight is a bigger number than last time,” said Bielefeld at the April BOE meeting. “But this is a scaled-back bond issue compared to what we voted on as a community in February of ‘25.”
USD 259 officials say bond funding remains necessary because the state does not provide funding for large-scale projects like building new schools and renovating existing ones.
They say Wichita, which is the largest school district in Kansas, has a continual need to maintain and rebuild facilities. The average building in the district is more than 60 years old.
But the district faces a challenge in convincing a voter base that appears weary of new taxes. In March, Wichita voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed 1% city sales tax.
The bond proposal also comes after the school board recently voted to close four elementary schools and the Chester Lewis Academic Learning Center. The timeline for the elementary school closures will be affected by the results of a bond vote.
The district has launched a page on its website with more information about the potential bond referendum.
Below is a detailed list of the recommended bond projects:
QUESTION 1
QUESTION 2 — Can only pass if question 1 passes.
