Support Shawnee Mission schools in January JoCo mail-in bond referendum

In January, voters in the Shawnee Mission School District will have the opportunity to vote on a $262 million mail-in bond referendum, which will touch every building and support the district’s growth and development far into the future. I write to urge my neighbors to vote in favor of this critical referendum.

The Shawnee Mission district, which covers 14 cities in northeast Johnson County, is a wonderful community to live in. I was privileged to grow up here and to attend Shawnee Mission schools. I have fond memories of Hickory Grove Grade School (the site of the current Horizons High School), and graduated from Shawnee Mission High School (now Shawnee Mission North High School, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2022.)

Strong public schools form the foundation of any strong community, and that is particularly true here in Shawnee Mission. People move to Johnson County to take advantage of our excellent public schools. Now we have the opportunity to ensure that our schools will continue to develop and improve far into the future, preparing the next generation for success.

For me, that preparation led me to the University of Kansas, where I ultimately earned a master’s degree in educational psychology. I was fortunate to be able to give back to the district, teaching English and American History at Nallwood Junior High School (now Indian Woods Middle School), before eventually moving into politics. I was elected to the Kansas Senate in 1984, serving until 2000.

Like so many of my neighbors and friends, I have always tried to give back to the community that raised and nourished me. My own daughters graduated from Shawnee Mission schools, and I was always deeply involved in their schools, serving on the PTA at Highlands Elementary, Indian Hills Middle School and at Shawnee Mission East High School, where they graduated. Now, we all have the opportunity to support our schools.

This bond referendum grows out of a deliberate planning process which began nearly five years ago, when the district did a facilities study of every single building. That study identified more than $700 million in facilities needs over the next 20 years. The information gained from that study was fed into the strategic planning process, which engaged people from throughout the community, and resulted in a long-term strategic plan passed by the Board of Education in June 2019. This plan, which represents the collective thinking of our community, provides direction and guidance to ensure that the district continues to grow and thrive.

If this plan passes, the district will rebuild five elementary schools, provide needed renovations to each middle and high school, and free money in the district’s operating budget to reduce the workload for secondary teachers, giving them more time to plan and strengthen their instruction. As a former middle school teacher, I know just how important this time for planning and collaboration is.

This January, we have the opportunity to take the next step in the growth of the Shawnee Mission School District. I ask my friends and neighbors to vote yes on this mail-in bond referendum. Information on how to obtain your ballot is available on jocoelection.org. Your support is critical to the future of our district, and our community.

Audrey Langworthy of Prairie Village is a former Kansas state senator and teacher in the Shawnee Mission School District.

This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Support Shawnee Mission schools in January JoCo mail-in bond referendum."