When Kansas City kids return to class next month, some will be welcomed back to a school with new floors, paint and lighting.
The work is funded by a $474 million bond approved by voters last year for Kansas City Public Schools to address longstanding maintenance needs and improve learning environments.
Some projects have already been completed and renovations are underway this summer at Border Star Montessori, Central High School and Gladstone and Wendell Phillips elementary schools.
Takeisha Brown, principal of Wendell Phillips Elementary, said the school’s upcoming improvements became real for her students and families when they saw the floor being broken down before the school year ended.
“I just can't wait for them to come through those doors, that threshold, and see these new bright floors,” Brown said. “The bright colors, the new lighting so they know that it's really happening and that they're worth it.”
Each school in the district, including Wendell Phillips, will receive at least $5 million from the bond to spend on building improvements. Some schools will undergo more expensive renovations and several will relocate to other buildings.
The district will also build two elementary schools, including the King Empowerment Center, which is funded by a $100 million certificate of participation bond issued by the school board last year.
In its first phase of renovations, Wendell Phillips Elementary is receiving new lighting, flooring, ceiling and paint throughout most of the school. That includes butter-yellow tiles that spell out “TIGERS” to welcome students through the front door each day.
The bathrooms, gymnasium and roof are also being upgraded along with a newly paved parking lot. Brown said there’s also a new playground for the school’s kindergartners and students with autism.
The school’s larger playground is set to be updated next year under the second phase of renovations.
Brown said she believes that a school’s aesthetics can make students feel more excited about learning and this summer’s updates will give kids, families and staff a new sense of pride.
“It would give them pride that ‘Hey, they see us, they care about us, and we deserve the best,” Brown said. “I just believe that it would give them that intrinsic motivation.”
A look at a timeline for the district’s planned projects and a look at the projects broken down by school can be found on the KCPS website. Families can also weigh in at upcoming meetings or by joining a Design Advisory Team for their school.
