By Max Goodwin
Parents and probably some grandparents of kids in school today, were yet to be born the last time voters passed a bond for KCPS in 1967. The landscape of education in Kansas City has changed dramatically in those 58 years.
The last meaningful investments into KCPS facilities were from a desegregation case in 1987, when a federal judge ordered that property taxes be increased.
As a result, many of the buildings are in disrepair. Some have slanted floors, HVAC issues, and need new roofs. The average age of KCPS buildings is more than 60 years old and a recent assessment determined that the district’s 32 schools have more than $1 billion in facility needs.
A proposed bond of $474 million for facility improvements is on this ballot to potentially change that. If passed, KCPS would then be allowed to borrow the funding and pay it back through an increase in property taxes.
The initiative requires four-sevenths (57.14%) of voter approval. It would raise the average homeowner’s property taxes by $19.32 per month or $231.84 per year.
Shannon Jaax, a consultant for the district who previously worked as the director of planning and real estate for KCPS, is the project manager for the KCPS 10-year capital plan, which informed the current bond question plan.
Jaax says the district is on the right track, and enrollment has increased every year since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. KCPS regained accreditation in 2022. But decades of neglect and deterioration have added up.
“If you’re just trying to band-aid your work because you don’t have that dedicated facility funding, we have a lot of deferred maintenance, over $650 million. So, we can’t address everything,” Jaax explains at a presentation to the League of Women Voters of Kansas City.
The proposed bond would cover Phase 1 of the work planned for KCPS. Each building will receive at least $5 million for renovations, with some receiving much more. Some of the most significant proposed projects are in south Kansas City. About $111 million of the total $424 million that goes to the district is planned for buildings south of 63rd Street.
A new middle school would be opened at the former Southwest High School site at 6512 Wornall Rd, with $45.1 million. It’s one of the highest-costing projects on the list. KCPS currently has only two neighborhood middle schools, and Central Middle School on 31st Street is the furthest south of the two.
“We looked at several different options for a third middle school, but the community was really excited about the Southwest High School renovation option,” said Shain Bergan, Public Relations Coordinator for KCPS.
Southeast High School would receive $16.7 million in improvements. Hale Cook Elementary, located at 7302 Pennsylvania Ave., would get a $12.5 million renovation. AC Prep Elementary would be relocated to Paige Elementary at 3301 E. 75th Street, with a $15.9 million renovation.
Hartman Elementary would receive $5.7 million. Banneker Elementary, Border Star Montessori, and Holliday Montessori School would receive a $5 million renovation.
Nine charter schools have partnered with KCPS on the bond and would receive $50 million while the district schools receive $424 million.
Académie Lafayette, a public charter school with buildings in Brookside and Midtown, would receive the most funding from the bond of any charter school, with $13.6 million for its three buildings. Its middle school at 6903 Oak Street would get new windows, roofing, HVAC, and a soccer field.
The partnership between KCPS and charter schools on the bond measure is a rare and unique move.
In 1999, Académie Lafayette was the first charter school in the state of Missouri to gain its charter. KCPS enrollment has fallen to less than half of its previous level since then. The relationship between charter schools and the district has been contentious for a long time, but this move signals a new stage.
“Whether they go to school at KCPS or somewhere else in Kansas City, we cannot have a strong city without strong schools,” Bergan said. “Including charter schools in this process is a win for everyone.”
Each charter school included in the bond had to meet a set of requirements and meet with the district about plans for renovations. The charter schools have to own the school building and use the funding to modernize facilities, learning spaces, and security.
Michele Markham, President of the Académie Lafayette School Board, says Lafayette’s joining the bond was an easy decision. She agrees that this agreement works for each side.
Some of the old competitive spirit remains, but Markham believes it bodes well for the future of education in Kansas City.
“KCPS today is not the KCPS of yesterday,” Markham said. “I don’t know anywhere else where you are actually seeing district schools and charter schools collaborating like this. I think it’s pretty groundbreaking.”