Kansas City Public Schools says its making plans to move its headquarters from downtown.
Moving the district headquarters from 12th Street and McGee was something called for in the master plan released two weeks ago.
In an email sent to parents and staff, the district says its entered into a sales contract with the Nazarene Publishing House to buy several buildings at 29th and Troost.
Here's the email:
Kansas City Public Schools has entered into a sales contract with the Nazarene Publishing House to purchase several buildings located at 29th and Troost. This contract is part of a plan to relocate our central office and consolidate the KCPS headquarters and our Maintenance, Operations, Security and Engineering facilities from two facilities into one, providing improved access for KCPS families while also significantly reducing operating costs, freeing up additional funds that can be reallocated to student programs. The Nazarene facility was selected for its central location within the KCPS boundaries, easy access to public transportation, energy efficiency, and the ability to meet many of the unique needs of KCPS, including office and warehouse space, and public and board meeting spaces. The move is expected to result in significant savings to KCPS in the form of reduced utility and facilities’ costs. KCPS is currently conducting due diligence on the Nazarene Publishing House facilities, which includes getting feedback from KCPS families at a public meeting to be held on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. at our central office, 1211 McGee St. in downtown Kansas City, Mo. We hope to see you there!
The district says it can consolidate several operations there, including district headquarters, maintenance and operations which, according to the email, will save the district money which can then be plowed into the classroom.
The district says the Troost location is also more centrally located. The purchase price and what’s going to happen to the current administrative building downtown weren’t disclosed but the district says it expects to more information to be released today.
Sam Zeff is an education reporter at KCUR 89.3. You can reach him on Twitter, @samzeff.
