WICHITA, Kansas — Structural repairs to two of Wichita’s oldest high schools have cost nearly $60 million over the past three years — an expense leaders say prevents them from upgrading and repairing other district buildings.
“This is the reality of our situation,” said Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld. “When we have these kinds of expenses going toward two buildings, the other 88 buildings are hard to keep up on.”
About four years ago, crews discovered structural problems in a science wing at Wichita's East High School, which is more than 100 years old. School officials shuttered 18 classrooms in that wing of the school for more than a year while repairs were completed.
Meanwhile, the district has also been repairing the foundation and exterior walls at North High School, which is considered an architectural landmark.
“It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s not because of neglect. It’s not because we didn’t take care of things or haven’t been good stewards of dollars,” Bielefeld said.
“We believe … that it’s important to keep those historic buildings up and going.”
Repairs to North High have cost $33.4 million so far, with several phases yet to be completed, Bielefeld said. Repairs to East High have cost $25.7 million.
Wichita school board members asked Bielefeld to create an online dashboard where residents can easily track major capital projects, including structural repairs and upgrades such as secured entrances.
They hope to clarify the district’s overall building needs, which were at issue during a recent bond issue campaign. Earlier this year, Wichita voters narrowly rejected a $450 million bond issue to rebuild and renovate schools.
School board president Diane Albert said greater transparency about the condition of Wichita school buildings could illuminate the district’s budget challenges.
“Because the numbers that we spend, it’s hard for the public to stomach those,” Albert said. “So, the more we can be clear on our language, I think the better we’ll be moving forward.”
The district is also looking for community members to join a new financial oversight committee, which will look at the district’s overall budget, revenue streams and facilities needs.
Board members have not said whether they plan to ask for another bond issue. They said four elementary schools — L’Ouverture, Woodland, OK and Pleasant Valley — would close in coming years because the buildings are inefficient and too costly to repair.
Leaders said they would continue to chip away at their master plan for facilities as funding allows, but there likely won’t be enough money to pay for new schools or major renovations. The district gets about $38 million a year for capital projects.
The average age of Wichita schools is 60 years, and they need an estimated $1.2 billion in repairs or upgrades to major systems — electrical, plumbing, roofs, heating and air conditioning — that will soon reach the end of their expected lifespans.
Meanwhile, Wichita’s enrollment is expected to decline over the next decade or more. The district’s bond plan would have updated buildings and reduced the district’s overall footprint to save on ongoing repairs.
Wichita could do what the Kansas City, Kan., district did last year: After Kansas City voters rejected a $420 million bond in the spring of 2023, the district came back with a $180 million bond, which voters approved later that year.
East High School, the district’s first and oldest high school, celebrated its centennial two years ago. In 2017, Architectural Digest named East the most beautiful high school in Kansas. The Collegiate Gothic-style campus spans 44 acres at the corner of Douglas and Grove.
North High opened in 1929 near the banks of the Arkansas River. It got a $12 million expansion and facelift as part of a bond issue voters approved in 2008.
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service.
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