WICHITA, Kansas — Groups on both sides of a proposed bond issue for Wichita schools have named leaders and launched campaigns ahead of the February election.
Wichita United for Better Education, a political action committee formed by Republican strategist Ben Davis to oppose the bond issue, said on a new website that the Wichita district should focus on basic maintenance and student test scores rather than building new schools.
Bradley Dyer Jr., a senior business development officer with Credit Union of America, is spearheading a “Yes for Wichita Kids” campaign in favor of the bond issue. He said the proposal is a responsible plan to make long-term improvements.
Wichita school board members voted in September to ask voters to approve a $450 million bond issue to finance school construction and other improvements. Leaders say the plan will reduce the district’s overall footprint and make it more efficient.
It would be the first bond issue for Wichita schools since 2008 and only the third since 1974. The special election is Feb. 25.
Opponents said the district has not fulfilled several promises from previous bond issues, including new comprehensive high schools in northeast and southeast Wichita. They also said district spending has increased while scores on state assessment tests are below state averages.
“Just giving more money to the school district, hoping that it’s going to somehow be better than it’s been before — that’s a hard sell,” Davis said.
“The school district needs to do the hard work to regain the trust of the citizens of Wichita … before coming back to taxpayers and asking for a large sum of money.”
The last bond issue for Wichita schools was approved in 2008 by a 2% margin. Three years after that vote, district leaders put bond projects on hold as they grappled with losses of about $4.5 million a year in state funding and millions more in federal funds for storm shelters.
In the end, several projects were scaled back or ditched altogether, including plans for two additional high schools and a K-8 school in Bel Aire. The new Southeast High School at 127th East and Pawnee was the most expensive project of the 2008 bond, costing about $65 million.
Supporters of the current bond proposal say the plan to close and rebuild some aging buildings would make the district more efficient in the long run.
“If we don’t do this now, it’s possible that millions more dollars will go into maintaining buildings and trying to fix things rather than improve things,” said Dyer, chairman of the Yes for Wichita Kids campaign.
Members of the pro-bond committee include Aaron Bastian, president of Fidelity Bank; Jennifer Szambecki with Hutton, a local construction firm, and Katie Warren, president of United Teachers of Wichita.
Wichita leaders voted last year to close two middle schools and four elementary schools because of declining enrollment and a $42 million budget deficit. Wichita’s enrollment has dropped by more than 8% over the past seven years, and consultants predict the decline will continue.
Meanwhile, consultants say Wichita schools need more than $1.2 billion in repairs and upgrades. They say the level of state funding earmarked for maintenance is not enough to sustain more than 90 school buildings.
District leaders say the bond would require no rate change on property taxes. But it would extend a current bond tax that is projected to end next year.
Davis, the bond opponent, said that argument is misleading because local taxpayers need relief.
“If we defeat this bond, those taxes will go down,” he said. “If you’re a senior living on Social Security and you have no other income, that could mean the difference between staying in your home or not.”
Dyer, with the pro-bond campaign, said maintaining the same tax rate shows the district is being fiscally responsible.
“That’s strategic, and I think the public should feel good about hearing that,” he said. “It’s important that we step up and meet this moment for the future of our schools and our kids.”
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.
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