Voters approve $180 million in bonds to rebuild Kansas City, Kansas Public schools
Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools won the ability to sell $180 million in bonds Tuesday that officials plan to use for rebuilding its aging stock of school buildings.
Voters approved a ballot initiative to issue the debt at a rate of about two to one, or 68%. The result comes six months after a more expansive, $420 million plan was rejected at the ballot box during a single-issue special election in May.
A major difference between the two plans: the $180 million alternative was crafted in a way that will not increase property taxes, according to district officials.
The bonds will finance rebuilds of Central and Argentine middle schools, two of the oldest in the state. Also included on the project list are a new building to combine Silver City and Noble Prentis elementary schools, and an addition for the Sumner Academy of Arts and Science that would eliminate the need for mobile trailer classrooms.
Property tax increases were at the center of the tension during the last go-round. In the community, which includes pockets of high poverty, home values have soared in recent years as Wyandotte County residents have demanded local authorities with the power over taxes do more to help relieve their financial burden.
Some of that pressure is driven by a diminishing level of state taxpayer support for public school capital projects. In 2016, for example, the state picked up roughly half the cost of a bond issue used to finance school buildings. In the plan voters approved Tuesday, the state’s share will be about 31%, according to KCKPS district officials.
The newer plan continued to face some community criticism and skepticism, however. Yard signs encouraging residents to vote down the initiative sprouted up around public schools and voting sites in recent weeks.
Opponents questioned whether the added debt load would put the district in a worse position moving forward and criticized leaders for some of its lagging academic success statistics. District leaders have pushed back on those assertions, pointing to the projects as a way to provide safe, clean environments for students that would enhance their ability to receive a strong education.
District officials say the need for updated buildings is great, long overdue and would address educational inequities students face depending on where they live and attend class.
The student population at Central, for example, has ballooned to a point where up to three students share a locker. Many take courses in trailers outside the building, frequently battling harsh elements on their way to class. And the state of the century-old building has deteriorated to a point where the air conditioning and heat are unreliable.
During an interview with The Star last month, Superintendent Anna Stubblefield said the district tailored the less expensive option for voters to consider this year after the response of voters in May. She said the plan will not address all the needs of the district.
“Now the approach is to chip away at it,” she said. “In the long run, it costs you more, but you also have to respond to what the voters are saying.”
Early voters who spoke to The Star on the issue ahead of the election were concerned with the deteriorating state of some buildings, and the lack of basic amenities for students and teachers.
Turnout on Tuesday well exceeded the low numbers seen during the single-issue special election in May, when less than 9% of registered voters participated. About 52% of registered Wyandotte County voters cast ballots Tuesday, according to unofficial election results.
Melanie Haas, a member of the Kansas State Board of Education whose area includes the school district, said she was “really proud of the voters of Wyandotte for recognizing that they needed to invest in their public schools if they want to see greater success.”
“This is just going to be really important for Wyandotte to be able to do the work that they need to do,” Haas said during a Democratic watch party in Johnson County on Tuesday night. “They’ve got to improve their buildings, they’ve got a lot of known issues, and so this will enable them to move forward.”
The Star’s Eleanor Nash contributed to this report.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:23 PM.
