Kansas City voters approved more than $474 million in higher property taxes for Kansas City Public Schools to update classrooms and fund longstanding maintenance needs.
It’s the first time in nearly 60 years that KCPS has successfully passed a general obligation bond — marking a turning point for the school district that has fought to regain its community’s trust after decades of disinvestment.
Monica Curls, a KCPS board member, told a Tuesday night watch party that Kansas City voters said their children were worth the investment.
“For our kids, our communities, our city and our future, it is bright,” Curls said. “I cannot wait to see the achievement that comes with these new facilities and new opportunities and new possibilities.”
The bond measure passed with 85% approval — far exceeding the 57% of voters required to sign off.
Many Kansas City-area school districts routinely pass bond issues. KCPS is the only Missouri school district in the region that has lacked that tax revenue for improving and constructing new buildings.
How KCPS will spend the bond money
The school district has fallen behind on $650 million worth of basic maintenance — issues with its electric wiring, windows, roofs, plumbing, foundations and HVAC systems.
The average KCPS building is 60 years old, and some are closer to 100. The district said it needs an additional $600 million to improve teaching and learning environments, bringing the cost of the district’s total needs to $1.25 billion.
KCPS will receive $424 million from the April bond to start addressing those needs, including:
- Tackling deferred maintenance with a focus on systems that keep schools warm, safe and dry; like HVAC, roofing and electrical
- Improving learning environments and classrooms, including collaboration spaces, STEAM labs, instrumental music spaces, athletic facilities, outdoor play areas and secure entry points
- Transitioning to a 6th through 8th grade middle school structure, including building a new middle school in the former Southwest High School building
- Building two new elementary schools with “family empowerment centers” to serve the community
A look at the district’s proposed projects broken down by school can be found here.
Rebuilding trust with the community
One of the biggest hurdles for Kansas City Public Schools was overcoming residents’ lingering negative perceptions of the school district’s performance after a revolving door of leadership and a lengthy desegregation case.
The Missouri State Board of Education voted in 2000 to withdraw KCPS’s accreditation status for failing to meet the state’s academic standards, marking the first time in the country that a state stripped a school district of accreditation.
The school district has transformed over the last couple of decades. Enrollment is improving and it finally regained full accreditation. But the buildings have remained a persistent reminder of Kansas City's strained relationship with public education.
To get ahead of public messaging, KCPS launched a campaign to educate voters about the upcoming bond by holding workshops, school walkthroughs and door-to-door visits.
Superintendent Jennifer Collier said she remembered the initial skepticism when the district first discussed pursuing a bond measure.
“We have now ushered Kansas City into a new era,” Collier said. “That dark cloud that hung over us for all those years from the past. We have now moved forward…and there is a new day in Kansas City.”
How much property taxes will increase
The bond issue also devotes $50 million to charter schools, spread across nine schools.
KCPS predicts that for a $474 million bond, someone with a home valued at $200,000 would pay an additional $231.80 per year in property taxes. A commercial property with the same value would pay an additional $390.40 per year.
The bond passage is a significant part of the district’s 10-year-plan to raise $680 million to improve school buildings.
The Beacon Kansas City reported that KCPS also asked its board of education to issue a $100 million certificate of participation bond, and devoted about $60 million of those funds toward building a new King Elementary campus. That bond is a loan that the district will pay back over time, and won’t raise property taxes.
KCPS will still need $156 million later to accomplish its decade-long plan, which it could seek from multiple sources, including through another bond.
