Kansas City, Kansans will decide Tuesday whether to issue $420 million in bonds meant to build five new public schools and fund other capital projects proposed by the district.
Approval of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools bond would come with a projected property tax increase for district residents.
When discussing the bond at public meetings, Superintendent Anna Stubblefield has pointed to the promise of predecessors to improve facilities across KCKPS after a 2016 bond funded the district’s newest schools, including Gloria Willis Middle School.
There are equity concerns within the district, officials say, between students who attend old buildings versus new ones. One of highlights listed by the district is the elimination of mobile classrooms being held in small trailers outside main buildings as a means to address overcrowding.
How voter turnout will fare in an off-season special election remains to be seen — though it’s sure to be lower than the last major KCKPS facilities bond, a no-tax-increase proposal voters overwhelmingly approved amid the presidential election in November 2016.
Meanwhile, many Kansas City, Kansans, have taken opposing stances on whether to support the latest measure.
Proponents say the bond is an opportunity to invest in aging infrastructure and create a better learning environment that will foster academic success. Another potential bonus supporters cite is the potential to attract new residents with improved schools, thereby widening the tax base.
Critics argue the property tax increase will be shouldered by many community members who simply cannot afford to pay. And they question whether school buildings are the right answer in the face of other challenges, such as student achievement gaps compared with state standards.
Here’s a more detailed look at what’s on the ballot Tuesday:
What’s in the plan?
Under the district’s proposal, six elementary schools — Silver City, Noble Prentis, Eugene Ware, Lindbergh, Emerson and New Stanley — would be combined into three. Each of those projects is estimated to cost $35 million.
Central and Argentine middle schools would also be rebuilt at a cost of about $61.8 million each. Single-story additions would be made at M.E. Pearson and Whittier elementary schools, at $2.6 million apiece, replacing mobile classrooms there.
Gymnasium additions for F.L. Schlagle and J.C. Harmon high schools are estimated to cost $6.3 million each.
Broader upgrades across the district — officials say every school would be touched in some way — amount to $66.7 million. Those include improvements for middle and high school auditoriums, interior and exterior athletics and special education.
The bond would also cover $44.5 million of deferred maintenance costs, including concrete repairs, playgrounds and fencing.
Other proposed facilities are a $15 million district aquatic center, a $20 million expansion of early childhood capacity and up to $20 million to build a new main public library.
What’s the proposed tax increase?
Should the bond pass, the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools district expects property taxes to increase by 8.5 mills. That assumes a reduction in the mill levy for the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library, which receives tax dollars levied by the school district.
Taxes will increase at a lower rate for residential homeowners versus commercial property owners.
For the owner of a home valued at $150,000, the district estimates the yearly tax bill will go up by $146.63. A commercial business owner valued at the same rate would pay $318.75 more annually.
Repayment would occur over the course of 30 years and include an average interest rate of 5.3%. State tax dollars would cover approximately 31% of the cost.
How can I vote?
Early voting in the contest opened in April through early in-person voting and the submission of mail-in ballots.
For those wishing to cast an early vote in person, the deadline to do so is 12 p.m. Monday. Those in-person early votes can only be made at the Wyandotte County Election Office, 850 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.
Mail-in ballots can be mailed or handed in at the election office. The deadline to hand them in is 7 p.m. Tuesday. Those returned by mail must be postmarked by 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
In-person Election Day voting begins at 7 a.m. Tuesday. Polls close at 7 p.m.
Registered voters can use the Kansas Secretary of State’s VoterView tool to look up polling sites in KCK.