WPS Board approves putting bond issue measure on the ballot

For just the third time in 50 years, WPS will take a facility bond issue to Wichita voters on February 25, 2025.  The Board of Education voted to put the special bond election on the ballot in an amount not to exceed $450 million to finance improvements outlined in Step 1 of the Facilities Master Plan during the September 9, 2024 meeting.

 All the improvements would be funded with no tax rate increase.

The bond issue would include:

• Rebuild 7 buildings on or near their current site, creating facilities properly sized for current and future enrollment with modern and flexible learning spaces, updated furniture and equipment.
  • Elementary schools – Adams, Black, Caldwell, Irving, McLean
  • Middle schools – Truesdell, Coleman
• New facilities will be designed to support innovative learning spaces
  • Early Childhood Center - located at the current site of Chester Lewis ALC
  • Future Ready Center for Construction Trades - located at East
  • Northeast Magnet outdoor athletic fields
• Renovate and Repurpose existing learning spaces will be enhanced to support new or expanded learning opportunities, maintain and preserve historic facilities, and assure high-quality learning spaces across the community.
  • Cessna Elementary - expand and convert to K-8
  • Isely Elementary - convert to K-8
  • Coleman Middle School - current building will be renovated and repurposed into an alternative learning center
  • Wells - current building will be expanded and repurposed to include Sowers Alternative High School to turn it into a 6 - 12 center
• Close and relocate current school facilities with programs relocated to new or repurposed facilities.
  • Chester Lewis Academic Learning Center - programs will be relocated to current Coleman
  • Dunbar Support Center - Multilingual Education Services and other programs will be relocated
  • Focht Instructional Support Center - Education Imagine Academy and other programs will be relocated
  • Gateway Alternative Program - program will be relocated
  • Little Early Childhood Center - program relocated to new Early Childhood Center facility 
  • Sowers Alternative High School - school relocated to expanded Wells Alternative Middle School
• Close current school facilities, relocating students to other nearby schools.
  • L'Ouverture, OK, Pleasant Valley Elementary, Woodland

The bond issue will:

• Upgrade and modernize aging facilities
• Help with more proactive maintenance vs. costly, disruptive repairs
• Provide newer, fewer elementary and middle school buildings over time for financial and staffing efficiency
• Address community desires for training in trades, early childhood services and more K-8 schools
• Support ADA compliance, energy efficiency, modern HVAC systems, multi-use spaces, etc. in new buildings
• Help us continue to be good stewards of community facility investments

“As our kids go, the whole community goes. Our students deserve this and the bond issue is an opportunity for our community to say, ‘We believe in you and you’re worth it,’ regardless of where students live in our district,” said Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld.

“Our kids deserve this investment. They serve the same opportunities. I’m excited to show our kids that we believe in our kids and they deserve to have the very best,” said BOE President Stan Reeser.

Watch the BOE presentation. 

The last time WPS had a bond issue was in 2008.