About 45,000 Wichita public school students head back to class Thursday as another new school year gets underway in the state’s largest school district.
Here’s a look at some of the new changes in place, as well as some of the pressing issues set to come up this school year.
Student cell phone use prohibited
Starting this fall, Kansas will join at least 20 other states that ban student cell phones in K-12 classrooms statewide.
The new ban is part of a push to reconsider the effects of devices on the developing minds of students. Supporters say cell phones create a distraction in the classroom and harm students’ ability to connect with their teachers and peers.
Districts have to develop their own policies for enforcing the ban and storing student phones.
The Wichita district’s new policy encourages students to leave their phones at home or in their cars. Students who bring their phones to school will have to store them in a designated, inaccessible location.
Loren Hatfield, chief of schools for the Wichita district, said the policy gives each school leeway to determine the best way to store phones.
“If you’re an elementary school, and the kids hang their backpacks up on the hooks at the back of the room next to the cubbies that they don’t access all day, that could be your storage location,” Hatfield said.
Some teachers have expressed concerns that they will lose class time trying to enforce the phone ban, or that enforcement of the ban could be inconsistent from school to school.
Wichita Public Schools says it is guiding administrators on enforcing a new cell phone ban in an effort to keep it consistent at each school.
A student caught using their phone will be asked to surrender it until dismissal. With repeat violations, the school could call a parent to retrieve the phone.
Students who refuse to surrender a device could be disciplined according to the student code of conduct.
WPS will try to pass a $615 million bond
Wichita Public Schools is asking for a bond issue worth up to $615 million dollars.
It will be split into two separate ballot questions, with the second one only able to pass if the first one does.
The district’s last attempt at issuing a bond failed by a slim margin in February 2025. But it’s been 18 years since the district’s last successful bond, and officials say there’s still a need for major repairs and renovations.
The district faces a challenge in convincing a tax-weary public to accept the district taking on debt.
Officials hope efforts to engage the public ahead of the bond vote will pay off, and an independent “Vote Yes Yes” committee is already making its pitch to voters.
“We will share the data we have, we will share the knowledge we've learned, we will share perspectives,” said Luis Rodriguez, president of that committee. “What we won't do is engage in conversations that are party-line.”
It remains to be seen whether there will be a formal campaign opposing the bond, but some local Republicans have been voicing their opposition on social media.
Teachers return to work without new contract
Wichita Public Schools teachers started the new school year without a new contract, after the district and the local teachers union declared an impasse in negotiations.
Negotiators from both parties began mediated talks on Friday. But as of late Wednesday, there have been no updates on a potential deal.
Without a new deal, teachers could continue to get paid at the rate they were paid in last year’s contract.
Representatives of United Teachers of Wichita say key sticking points in the contract discussions include teacher pay, planning time and student behavior.
Wichita BOE will fill open seat
In June, the youngest-ever Wichita school board member resigned from his seat in District 3.
Ngoc Vuong was elected to the school board in 2023 at 23 years old. Vuong, who is of Vietnamese heritage, was also the first Asian-American elected to the board.
Vuong resigned from the seat to accept a tenured assistant professor position at a university outside of Kansas.
During his time on the board, Vuong told KMUW he pushed for more grassroots input in the district’s decisions.
“We are not the saviors in this,” he said. “We have to look to our community for answers, and we have to work with our community (in) lockstep.”
The school board has begun the process to fill the open seat. It will accept applications through noon on Aug. 26.
To qualify, a person must be eligible to vote and live within the boundaries of District 3, which is in southeast Wichita.
Board members plan to interview qualified applicants at a special meeting in September.
Vuong’s successor will serve the rest of his term, through December 2027.
New law restricts student walkouts
A new Kansas law enacted in April bars public school students from participating in walk-out protests without written permission from a parent or guardian.
The statute defines a student walkout as an organized effort for students to willfully violate school attendance requirements.
It also outlines potential fines for school districts — up to the amount of their superintendent’s annual salary — if the state determines a district failed to enforce its attendance policy or encouraged a student walkout.
In an effort to comply with the law, the Kansas Board of Education has adopted a complaint form for people to report student walkouts. State education officials would also be responsible for investigating the complaints and determining if a reported walkout violated the law.
The proposed form asks people to report details like the names of student organizers, how many students participated, and any evidence that staff “encouraged, facilitated or enabled” the walkout.
Free speech advocates say the proposed complaint form could punish students for expression and violate their privacy.
At least 2 Wichita schools will close
This school year is set to be the last for at least two Wichita elementary schools — L’Ouverture and Pleasant Valley.
Wichita district leaders recommended closing the two schools, along with Woodland Elementary and OK Elementary, because they say the schools are aging, have low enrollment and are too costly to repair.
They say consolidating elementary schools also would create a more equitable learning experience for students across the district.
In March, the school board rejected a community effort against the closures and approved a timeline for closing the schools.
If the bond issue passes, Woodland and OK elementary schools would not close until the 2028-2029 school year. If it fails, those schools would close at the end of this school year, alongside L’Ouverture and Pleasant Valley.
State funding for schools
The state’s current school finance formula is set to expire in July. That formula determines the metrics by which local school districts are awarded state dollars.
Lawmakers in Topeka began meeting to construct a new finance formula this year, but there has been little movement.
One piece of the formula that is particularly contentious is at-risk funding, which funds services for students who may need support to succeed in school.
That funding is based on the number of students who qualify for free lunch. In the last legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill requiring districts to verify the household income of each student who qualifies for free meals.
Proponents say that ensures at-risk dollars are going where they are most needed. But critics say it could harm school districts financially, particularly when families do not return paperwork to verify their incomes.
Five state BOE seats up for grabs
The political makeup of the Kansas State Board of Education could change based on the results of the November election.
The board oversees the state’s K-12 schools.
Half of the 10 seats on the state BOE are up for grabs in November, and five Republicans on the board declined to seek re-election.
The three Democrats on the board, along with two other Republicans, will not be up for re-election until 2028.
No cell phones in school zones
A new Kansas law makes it illegal for drivers to handle their cell phone while driving in school zones and active construction areas.
A law is already on the books banning texting while driving, but now any use of a cell phone while driving in school zones or and construction zones with workers present will lead to a warning.
Starting next July, drivers will be fined $60 for cell phone usage while driving in the designated zones.
School board crafting new budget
Wichita school board members are currently in the process of crafting its nearly $1 billion budget for the new school year.
The district will keep its mill levy flat compared to last year. But with rising home values, it would still bring in more revenue.
District staff say that additional revenue would help offset rising costs and a loss of about $8 million in state funding due to declining enrollment.
Schools across the country are enrolling fewer students as people have fewer babies, as part of a so-called “enrollment cliff.”
The district expects millions in higher costs next year, including in fuel and transportation.
The board will hold a hearing in September before voting on a proposed budget.
