Small building and little storage: Why rebuilding Wichita’s McLean is on the ballot

Editor’s note: Before voters decide on a $450 million school bond issue on Feb. 25, The Eagle is profiling many of the schools affected. Read more profiles and find continuing coverage of the bond issue election here.

Parents and educators at McLean Science and Technology Magnet say they’re proud of their small school.

“Just [a] very connected, cohesive group entrenched in tradition and then just the sense of pride, too, because … on the level of performance, they’re one of the top performers in the school district,” Principal Tina Young said.

But if the school bond issue is approved, the 262-student school would get much bigger.

“It’d be nice to, you know, have an atmosphere that allows kids to do that and just to enhance what they’re doing in the classroom,” Young said about the new building, which is slated to have bigger classrooms.

McLean, tucked away in a neighborhood near 21st and Amidon, is a neighborhood science and technology magnet school.

It’s one of seven schools slated to be rebuilt if the bond issue is approved. The new building would cost an estimated $38.7 million and be scheduled to open by the end of 2027.

The new school would take in some students from Pleasant Valley, Woodland, and OK elementary schools, all of which would close under the district’s facility master plan. That would potentially double the number of students to more than 500.

What a McLean parent says

For parents, the new building is a double-edged sword.

“I know for a lot of families, that is a huge sad point, because we do love that small family where you get to know each other, and it does feel more like a family, and kids … just know each other better,” parent and PTA president Claire Kelderman said. All three of her boys are at or have been at McLean.

But with enrollment declining, the district said it needs to consolidate many of its smaller schools, like McLean, into bigger ones.

With the bigger school, staff and parents hope that the classrooms are able to lean more into the science and technology magnet’s focus.

“I know the science lab as well, would love to have more space, because it’s such a tactile subject for kids that age,” Kelderman said.

What’s it like inside current McLean Elementary?

With the current building’s small size, there’s also not much room for storage. The gymnasium doubles as a cafeteria, which means lunch and gym sometimes happen at the same time, the principal said.

“The way the schedule works, it makes it challenging for our class right before lunch,” Young said.

McLean was built in the mid-1950s. It has had additions over the years, with the most recent a wing that doubles as a library and FEMA shelter. That was added 10 years ago.

The district said it’s not sure if it plans to or how it would incorporate the newer shelter space in McLean and other schools into the rebuild.

Officials said in August that they were in talks with the city of Wichita to obtain Columbine Park next door in a trade for other land in order to rebuild McLean without disrupting student learning. Details have yet to be finalized.

Other schools that would be torn down and rebuilt are Adams, Black, Caldwell and Irving elementary schools and Coleman and Truesdell middle schools.

In addition to rebuilding schools, the district would convert two elementary schools to K-8 schools, consolidate alternative schools and close four elementary schools and two administration centers. It would build new outdoor athletic fields at Northeast Magnet High School, a new Future Ready Center for Trades at East High school and a new early childhood education center.

This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 1:56 PM.