KCK voters soundly reject district’s $420 million plan to improve, build new schools

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a request to issue $420 million in bonds for capital projects in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, sending district officials back to the drawing board on a plan to address the challenges of dated school buildings.

Roughly 8% of registered voters participated in the single-issue special election over the fate of the district’s proposal, according to unofficial results from the Wyandotte County Election Office.

The measure received support from 42% of voters as 58% cast ballots against. There were 5,071 ballots cast, with 2,136 supporters and 2,935 opponents.

The plan before voters called for three elementary and two middle schools to be built. Some additional costs included a $15 million district aquatic center, a $20 million expansion of early childhood capacity, up to $20 million for a new main public library and $44.5 million to cover deferred maintenance.

District officials had pointed to the plan as one to address many needs, including aging school buildings and a lack of sufficient space.

Reached by phone Tuesday evening, Superintendent Anna Stubblefield thanked those who participated in the special election to cast votes on both sides.

“Unfortunately, it did not turn out in the manner that we were hoping for,” she said. “However, as long as I’m in the seat as superintendent, I’m always going to advocate for what is best for kids in order for them to achieve academic outcomes that I know that they are capable of doing.”

During her conversations with KCK residents, Stubblefield said she believes a majority of people still want better facilities for students and teachers — even those who did not support the proposal Tuesday.

“I’m excited about coming to the table with those who potentially have other ideas on how we can get this done, to hear their thoughts and perspectives about what to prioritize and how to improve our facilities for our students,” Stubblefield said.

District officials decided to put the question to voters earlier this year, saying the last major infrastructure update left a lopsided school system with equity gaps between students who attend new buildings versus old ones.

In 2016, voters overwhelmingly approved a $235 million bond issue to pay for the reconstruction of several schools. It did not increase taxes, a primary concern district officials took into account, and promises were made to come back and update more schools at a later time.

Delays since then have been attributed to turnover in top district leadership as well as challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the examples of inequity district officials aimed to correct is the situation at Central Middle School, a 109-year-old building where the student population is overflowing to the point that many students have class in outdoor trailers. Two or three students are assigned to a single locker for lack of space.

The bond faced opposition from residents in large part because it would have increased property taxes. For a resident who owns a home valued at $150,000, the yearly property tax bill was expected to go up by $146.63.

Celebrating the outcome Tuesday night was Pamela Penn-Hicks, a KCK organizer who helped lead the campaign against the bond.

She has cast doubt over the proposal based on costs that would have been shouldered by financially strapped Kansas City, Kansans, as well as whether new facilities were the right answer to other issues, such as the district’s academic challenges.

“Now is the time for us to sit down as a community and bring the necessary ingredients together to improve our academic success and improve students’ academic experiences,” Penn-Hicks said.

Turnout was remarkably low across Wyandotte County polling sites. A higher-traffic area was the Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, where roughly 400 people cast ballots.

Voters who spoke to The Star there offered mixed views on the issue.

Rosellar Thomas, 72, attended KCKPS and has three children who work for the district. She said she voted yes because she wants to see investment in the future of the students enrolled there today.

“Our children deserve better than what they have,” Thomas said, adding: “We build everything else. Why not build for the future?”

In the leadup to the election, a vote-yes campaign called the Committee for A Stronger Future attempted to drum up support with mailers and social media ads. As the final results came in late Tuesday, the mood among proponents at a KCK watch party turned from cautious optimism to disappointment.

KCKPS Board President Randy Lopez, a supporter of the bond issue, said the result shows a need for the community to come together and discuss the hopes, dreams, opportunities and challenges moving forward.

“The challenges in our district still exist with our facilities,” Lopez said. “We still have kids in trailers, we still have issues in a lot of our buildings.

We need to work together to come up with a plan that this community will embrace and move forward with so that we can continue to invest in our students and invest in this community.”