Kansas City now has a $474 million school bond spending plan if voters approve it | CRMS

Kansas City Public Schools put forward a plan Wednesday night for how the district would spend more than $474 million if voters approve a bond in April to update classrooms and fund long-standing maintenance needs.

The set of recommendations comes after months of community feedback and includes changes to the original plan announced in August, such as keeping Phillis Wheatley Elementary School open and eliminating the proposal to combine Border Star and Holliday Montessori schools.

The updated proposals prove the district remains responsive to the needs of the community, said Tanesha Ford, vice chair of the board of education.

“You have taken into account honest feedback from those closest to us who are actually involved in the construction to come up with a list of very informed recommendations and a commitment to continue to engage beyond tonight,” Ford said.

The district spent months collecting feedback on its 10-year capital planwhich would begin setting aside $650 million for deferred maintenance and include $600 million for upgrades to classrooms and other areas where students learn.

Since May, a survey about the plan has received 1,116 responses. And more than 5,700 people have attended dozens of open houses, outreach and engagement events since the district launched a bond campaign.

The school’s board of directors will next consider the final version of the updated guidelines for adoption in December.

If four or more of the seven members approve the bond at that time, KCPS would receive tax revenue for improvements and new building construction for the first time since 1967. It is the only Missouri school district in the region without a general obligation bond to fund improvements. and building renovation.

The board on Wednesday also approved a resolution that would place general obligation bonds on the April 8 ballot.

School board member Monica Curls said passing the bond would help provide Kansas City students with the same modern amenities they see when visiting other districts.

“The fact that they come from a ZIP code that is in KCPS should not limit their potential, their capabilities or their capabilities,” she said. “But we as adults need to help make this situation better for them.”

“They deserve the same,” Curls said.

The board also approved agreements with nine charter companies participating in the April bond, providing up to $50 million in funding: Lafayette Academy, Citizens of the World, Crossroads Academy, DeLaSalle High School, Gordon Parks Elementary School, Hogan Preparatory Academy, Kansas. City Girls Preparatory Academy, Kansas City International Academy and Scuola Vita Nuova.

The school district received an influx of money in the 1980s as a result desegregation lawsuit. But without a reliable source of funding for capital projects, deferred maintenance has since accumulated.

Approval of the district’s current bond campaign will allow it to build two new schools and make district-wide investments in keep schools warm, safe and dry. Some programs and schools will be moved and consolidated into new locations with better facilities.

Facilities survey respondents wanted the district to prioritize deferred maintenance on bathrooms, heating and cooling systems, and technology. Many also wanted to see the district improve its outdoor play and learning facilities, gyms and co-working spaces.

Changes to recommendations based on feedback

Under Wednesday’s recommendations, all schools would receive at least $5 million in the district’s first round of investments. Heating and cooling systems will be installed in every school building, and schools that prioritize bathroom renovations will receive the investment.

The district will also provide funds to address safety and security issues.

Classroom and school renovation projects should include collaborative spaces, STEAM labs, instrumental music spaces, and upgraded athletic facilities. The final project lists for each school will be based on an assessment of the building’s facilities and community feedback.

An open house in November allowed students to voice their thoughts on issues in their buildings, including equal access to facilities and resources, heating and cooling, bathrooms and bathroom vandalism, and lack of space in dining halls.

On Wednesday, the council also decided to renovate the former Southwest High School site to accommodate new high schoolwhich will be called South High School. KCPS said it needs more space to accommodate incoming sixth-graders as it transitions to a middle school structure for grades six through eight.

The decision follows an open day and survey of various options for the secondary school. County officials said Wednesday that $45.1 million of the cost will be financed by April bonds, but an additional $24.9 million is still needed. Renovations will not begin until all funding has been raised.

Other changes in the August proposal include an increase in the cost of moving Success Academy’s alternative high school programs to an existing alternative elementary school called Success Academy at Knotts. Additional funding will be used to renovate and create separate facilities for elementary and middle school programs.

Budgets for other projects, such as major renovations to East High School and Lincoln Preparatory Academy, have increased based on community feedback and updated cost estimates. The additional money will go toward expanding or relocating the East High School cafeteria and funding athletics at Lincoln Prep.

Costs to move George Washington Carver Bilingual School into a renovated building on the Paseo Academy campus have increased, while costs to move George Melcher Elementary School to the former Carver building have decreased, based on updated estimates and varying square footage of each building.

The King Empowerment Campus, one of the district’s new K-5 elementary school construction projects, will be funded by another $100 million certificate of participation that the district will pay off over time rather than by the April bond.

Students from King Elementary School, the Richardson Early Learning Center and Wheatley Elementary School’s special education program will move into the new building, which will also house community resources.

Other parts of the plan have not changed since the August project, including a plan to build another K-5 elementary school called Woodland Empowerment Campus.

The Woodland campus at 711 Woodland Avenue will house the District’s Global Academy, Woodland Early Learning Center and Whittier Elementary School, which are currently located in buildings with poor environmental and environmental ratings.

Likins Neighborhood Association started a petition last week calling on the school board to keep Whittier open, citing concerns about the empty building that will be left behind. As of Wednesday evening, it had more than 150 signatures.

Residents highlighted the diversity of the school’s students and the number of different languages ​​they speak at home. This is also one of the areas of the district. higher performing schools.

Likins residents at Wednesday’s meeting called on the district to consider keeping the school open or moving it and other programs to another location in the Likins area.

“We’re very poor, and people… they’ve already been forced out of their homes, so let’s try to do as little as possible,” said Angie Curtis, a social worker and executive director of the Likins Neighborhood Association.

District officials said they considered an alternative site proposed by the neighborhood association but decided the Woodland campus was the best option for students. Shannon Jukes, a district consultant, said there are now plans to work with the district to prevent more vacant land and building closures.

Other plans that have not changed include moving programs from the Manual Career Technical Education Center to Central High School, which district leaders say has room for renovations and additions to support a modern CTE program.

The district also continues to recommend relocating the African-Centered College Preparatory Academy to the former Satchel Paige Elementary School building.

What’s next?

By Dec. 20, the district will create what it calls a “Speakers Bureau,” which will train ambassadors on how to promote connections with community members. These promotional efforts will begin in January with new public meetings, events and bus tours highlighting county facilities that will be impacted by the bond.

“He takes the message of good news, of great things happening, and spreads it,” said Nicole Collier-White, the district’s chief communications and community engagement officer. “Because people still wonder who we were 30, 40, 50 years ago. And that’s not an accomplishment we strive for every single day at KCPS.”