Month: April 2016

The Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools are in the early stages of discussing a bond issue, according to a school district spokesman.

The district’s Board of Education met last week to discuss a bond issue and school finance.

David Smith, chief of staff and spokesman for the school district, said the district is doing some visioning in committees currently, and eventually, a recommendation will be made to the board on whether to have a bond issue and what amount it should be.

If the board approves a bond issue, then school district officials would go out to the community and present information on it, he said.

He said one goal is to have a bond issue with no mill levy increase.

Currently, the school district is experiencing some space shortage in classrooms in the elementary schools. Earlier this month, the school district applied for a temporary permit for a modular classroom at William Allen White Elementary School.

“We’re oversubscribed at the elementary level, so we have to be flexible on finding space,” Smith said.

The bond issue, if approved by the board and the voters, would be for permanent structures, he added.

A facilities study conducted by DLR was presented in November. According to the study, school buildings in the district have an average age of 60 years old, which is older than the average national lifespan of a school.

In February, the school board voted to begin plans for a bond issue to address facility needs; however, it is still in the exploratory stage and no action was taken to approve the bond issue.