KCK district OKs $180 million bond for school improvements to appear on November ballot

With buildings in disrepair and estimated construction costs mounting, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools officials are putting forward a $180 million bond issue to finance school rebuilds that voters may consider Nov. 5.

The seven-member elected school board voted 6-0 Tuesday to advance a proposed investment in aging buildings that district leaders say is long overdue .

In dollars and cents, the new proposal is less than half of the more ambitious plan that voters widely rejected during a single-issue special election three months ago. And district leaders say its passage would not increase the tax rate, a major sticking point during the last round.

Potential projects under the revised plan include Central and Argentine middle schools. Each could be razed and built new at a combined estimated cost of $132.7 million.

Elementary schools Silver City and Noble Prentis could be knocked down and built as one for an estimated $38 million. Also proposed is a $7 million addition for classroom space at Sumner Academy of Arts and Science.

In May, Kansas City, Kansans voted 58% to 42% to reject a larger bond issue that would have invested $420 million toward building five new schools along with millions in other expansions and maintenance needs. Roughly 8% of registered voters cast ballots.

Proponents highlighted the needs around the district, where some students take daily classes in outdoor trailers, and climate control is a challenge in the older buildings. The proposal faced opposition from residents concerned with the effect the bond issue would have on property taxes.

After a return to the drawing board, district leaders developed two alternative plans and started shopping them in recent weeks . The $180 million option, which officials say should not increase the tax rate, was offered alongside a costlier one with a gentler increase than the initial proposal.

During the public meeting Tuesday, Wanda Brownlee Paige, a board member and opponent to the earlier and costlier option, said she believes the smaller capital plan is “reasonable.”

“We have to consider that people are struggling, and it doesn’t mean that they don’t care,” said Paige, who last week won a Democratic primary to be an incoming Kansas House representative next year. “I think everybody in this room wants better schools, wants better things. But those of us who live in this city, who pay taxes, they’re killing us, and there’s not a lot of options.”

Rachel Russell, a board member since 2022, said the building of newer and better schools is one way the community can attract more residents to live in Kansas City, Kansas and widen the tax base.

“Regardless of where you stand, I have no doubt that people in KCK care about our schools, care about our kids,” Russell said, adding: “I understand that we want to take care of folks who are already here, but the biggest investment that we can also make for the people who live here is also creating a community where other people want to be a part of as well.”

The push for a bond to pass comes as construction costs are projected to rise and some board members have questioned what level of support the state will provide for capital projects in the future.

For example, the rebuilds of Central and Argentine have already increased by roughly 7% in a scenario where the bond issue is approved in November, according to the district’s figures. The state’s responsibility for repaying bonds issued for the project would amount to roughly 31% of cost.

The step is not the last before the question ends up on the November ballot.

Over the coming weeks, the district faces a series of deadlines for publication of legally required notices, approval from the state’s education department and submission of documents to the county clerk. All questions appearing on the ballot must be submitted to the Wyandotte County Election Office by Sept. 3.