Olathe Schools asks voters for $389M in March special elections. What’s at stake?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Voters to decide on $389M Olathe Schools bond to fund capital projects.
- Bond funds would rebuild schools, upgrade facilities and equipment.
- If bond fails to pass, the district may reallocate staff funds to cover maintenance.
Registered voters in the Olathe Public Schools boundaries will receive a ballot in their mailbox starting Wednesday, proposing a No-Tax Rate Increase Bond to improve district facilities and help fund projects like the consolidation of elementary schools.
The $389 million bond is up for a vote after the school district evaluated its most immediate needs that yearly operational costs would not cover.
While the bond is structured to not directly increase taxes for voters, approving it this March would mean giving up a projected future reduction in taxes, keeping the current tax rate for longer.
After receiving community input, the district identified building maintenance, technology upgrades, improved athletic facilities, playground equipment and new elementary schools, among a number of other projects, as top priorities the bond could fund.
District officials say if the bond fails to pass, its more than 28,000 students will feel a direct impact. The district would not be able to properly maintain buildings, update equipment or make other improvements without reallocating funds currently used for staff, a district spokesperson said.
Olathe Schools Deputy Superintendent of Operations Jim McMullen said there are old buildings in the district that are not meeting student needs and have reached their “end of life.”
“There’s a piece of this bond for students of every age and every bit of our community,” McMullen said in a phone call.
Voters have until noon March 3 to return their ballot and have it counted in the special election. People can either mail in the ballot or return it in person at the Johnson County Election Office, 2101 E Kansas City Road.
As voters consider the bond, here’s a more in-depth look at what ongoing needs it could pay for, and how bonds work.
Olathe Schools has history with bonds
Olathe Public Schools has a history of bond referendums. Dating back to its consolidation in 1965, the district has asked voters to approve bonds, on average, about every three to five years, McMullen said.
In the past, the district proposed bonds in order to keep up with exponential growth in Olathe, and to have enough facilities for students and growing neighborhoods.
“Now, our bond dependency, really, is on taking care of our investments that the community supported along the way, and putting money back into facilities,” McMullen said.
State laws limit what bonds can be used to pay for — they cannot be used for salaries, textbooks and other day-to-day expenses. Bonds are used to fund brick-and-mortar projects, which include constructing, equipping, maintaining and furnishing district facilities.
With the approval of voters, school districts sell bonds to investors to fund the construction of new schools and other facilities and purchase of equipment, or to pay for renovation of existing buildings. They function, essentially, as voter-approved loans, where the district borrows money for capital improvements then pays it back over time via local property taxes.
The district’s most recent bond was a $293.3 million bond approved by 67.73% of voters in 2022. It was used to pay for major infrastructure projects, including the replacement of Santa Fe Trail Middle School. The school district is still paying back that bond.
Tax implications of the bond
Public opinion about the Olathe schools’ 2026 bond proposal has varied. During its marketing campaign to inform voters, the district received mixed responses.
If the new bond is not approved, the district’s existing bond and interest tax rate is expected to decrease approximately 2 mills over the next five years and gradually decline until it is eliminated in 2041.
“This equates to approximately $1 a month for every $100,000 of home value for every decreased mill,” the district said on social media. “For the first two school years, that would save $12 a year for every $100,000 of home value.”
“We are asking voters to reinvest this into our schools versus taking the very gradual tax reduction until 2041.”
Projects within the 2026 bond proposal will not increase the tax rate currently levied to pay off bonds. The rate set by the Board of Education for this part of voters’ tax bill will be equal to or less than the current rate.
As older debts are paid off, new bonds are issued within that same rate.
A spokesperson for the district, Erin Schulte, said a priority of the Olathe Schools Board of Education is keeping the tax rate the same, if not lower.
Bonds allow school districts to spread the cost out over time. And in Olathe’s case, bonds reduce the need to pull money away from classrooms and school programs.
New elementary schools
Declining enrollment and old buildings in disrepair have sprouted conversations about consolidating Olathe’s elementary schools.
If the bond passes, the district proposes combining Fairview and Northview elementary schools into a newly constructed school building at the current Northview location.
Similarly, Central and Ridgeview elementary schools would use bond funds combine into a newly constructed school building at the current Central site.
According to district records, Northview Elementary saw the steepest enrollment decline in the last five years. Between the 2021-22 academic year and 2025-26 academic year, Northview’s enrollment declined from 239 students to 199 students.
In that same period, Central grew from 209 students to 239 students; Fairview grew from 212 to 248 students; and Ridgeview shrank slightly from 257 students to 254 students.
Consolidating the schools is an effort to improve efficiency and equitable access to education, district officials said.
“Running buildings with a little larger enrollment certainly is better,” McMullen said. “But also, and frankly, more importantly to me, is equitable learning spaces for kids and ensuring that kids who live in certain areas of our district have the same access and facilities that the others do.”
Bond money would also fund a rebuild of Meadow Lane Elementary at its current site.
The current school building, operating since 1953, faces frequent leaks, plumbing and electrical problems.
Meadow Lane Elementary Principal Casey Welch said a new building would help Meadow Lane meet students’ individual needs.
While he doesn’t encourage voters to vote one way or the other, Welch said he encourages people to look at impacts of the bond proposal and consider what they want for their child.
“Think of yourself as when you were in elementary or secondary school, what would you want done, and what would you like to see for your own school?” Welch said.
New tech, athletic facility upgrades
Of course, the proposed bond would impact more than just elementary schools.
Other projects the district aims to use bond money to accomplish include:
- Expanding weight rooms at high schools.
- Updating middle school locker rooms.
- Adding lanes to middle school tracks.
- New band and orchestra instruments.
- Replacing old technology.
- Installing new safety and security systems.
