USD 259 performance doesn’t justify another school bond. Vote no. | Opinion

Wichita voters, whether you own, lease or rent residential or commercial property, you will be paying more for the next 20 years if the $450 million school bond election is passed on Feb. 25th.

Don’t be fooled by the “zero change in tax rate” claim. The 2008 bonds will not be paid off until 2029 plus the new bonds are $80 million more and assessed property values keep going up.

Sadly, new and renovated schools have not and will not improve student achievement.

However, local architects and contractors hope to make huge profits once again. If these builders get their way, this is only step one. The total for steps one, two and three of their master plan is expected to cost us $2.1 billion over the next 30 to 50 years.

We have seen this movie before. The 2008 bond was sold with promises that our students would learn better. Instead, test scores have dropped far below state averages.

Building fancy new buildings did nothing to improve student achievement. After the 2008 Bond election, Wichita taxpayers spent $430 million to build two high schools, two K-8 schools, and four new or replacement elementary schools, plus 60 tornado shelters. Yet state test scores have gone way down.

If this new bond issue is passed, 18 of those schools will be closed and a large amount of the $1 billion we have already invested since 2000 will be wasted.

State assessment scores for Wichita K-12 students are now some of the lowest in Kansas. In 2024, only 17.1% were proficient in math, reading and science.

These scores are much lower than in 2015 when just 23.1% were proficient. And sadly, only 16% of Wichita high school students who took the ACT test in 2024 had a high enough score to suggest that they would not flunk out of college.

There is so much chaos, bullying and disruption in most Wichita schools that it is very hard for teachers to teach and students to learn. If this bond issue passes and more schools are closed, the district wants to increase class size. This will make it more difficult for teachers and students.

During the past 30 years, there have never been more than 51,000 students enrolled in USD 259. When the 2008 bond issue barely passed by 1%, the enrollment was 48,475. In 2024, the enrollment was 47,174.

Since 2017, USD 259 has received a 35% increase in tax revenue. The cost per pupil has gone up 43%.

In addition, the district used federal COVID funds to hire 536 non-classroom employees, but now rather than lay off these temporary workers, they want to close more schools and raise our property taxes by $450 million plus interest.

It is time for all responsible Wichita voters to vote no on Feb. 25.

By holding this bond election in February, the district and the local businesses who will profit are counting on low turnout. They are hoping to sneak this huge waste of taxpayer money past us.

So, each of us must spread the word and make sure that this fiasco is voted down. Only then, will USD 259 refocus on improving student achievement and behavior instead of finding more ways to spend our taxes.

This story was originally published February 18, 2025 at 2:58 PM.