The purpose of the proposed bond is to address the district's growth, safety and security, technology, and aging facility needs. The $244.8 million bond election would provide instructional space for a growing student population, safe and secure schools, along with greater access to instructional technology. Major elements of this bond election include funds to build a fifth high school and a 36th elementary school. 2. How much will the bond issue be for?
The Board of Education, district administration and a patron-based bond task force have studied the needs of the district and have determined that a bond issue of $244.8 million would effectively help the district address current and future growth, safety and security, aging facility and technology needs. 3. How will this bond issue impact me financially?
The $244.8 million bond issue would NOT cause an increase in the school district’s mill levy. This means that a homeowner would not see an increase in their tax bill because of this bond issue.
4. What is a no-tax-increase bond issue?
With the approval of voters, school districts sell bonds to investors to fund the construction of new schools and other facilities, or to pay for renovation of existing buildings. This makes bonds different than the school district’s operating levy, which is used to pay for salaries, textbooks and other day-to-day expenses. Bonds are for brick-and-mortar projects only and cannot be legally used for anything else.
Bonds are paid for by a portion of the property taxes that are paid by homeowners. This bond issue is a “no tax increase” proposal, because the Olathe School District will be finished paying off some previous bonds before this new bond issue would go into effect. This means that this bond issue will not cause an increase in taxes– and the school district will be able to build a new high school, and make the safety and technology enhancements, and other improvements that are all part of this proposal. 5. Can bond dollars be used to hire more teachers or lower class sizes?
Bond money cannot be used toward operating expenses, such as salaries. These bond funds, according to Kansas statute, can only be used on capital projects such as building construction and maintenance projects. That means that any money raised through an approved bond issue cannot be used to pay for additional teachers or to lower class sizes. However, the money will be used to create better learning environments for students in the district.
6. How does a bond like this improve my property values?
As is often noted by local municipalities and their chambers of commerce, school districts are an integral component to economic development. Businesses like to be located in areas in which their employees’ families have access to quality schools. Quality schools are not only a component of what goes on within the classroom, but are also affected by the condition of the classroom. Overcrowded schools and schools in need of repair affect the education of the students who attend them as well as the perception the community has of the overall quality of the district, just as poorly maintained homes do to a neighborhood. If the district is not viewed as being of high quality, economic growth slows and ultimately property values decline. 7. Why now?
The Olathe School District has grown every year for the past 40 years. Due to this consistent and steady enrollment growth, district staff estimates that the district could have more than 1,600 additional students at the high school level in coming years. High schools take approximately five years to design, build and open to students. In order to make sure students have the adequate space they need for learning, the district needs to begin the building of a new high school as soon as possible. In addition, due to the opportunity to have a no-tax-increase bond, now is also a prudent time financially for a bond vote to be considered by tax payers. 8. How did the district decide which projects to include in the bond?
Looking to the future to determine the Olathe School District's needs as it continues to grow is an important and on-going effort. At the beginning of the 2011-12 school year, the district embarked on developing a Capital Improvement Plan to identify and plan for needed building repairs and to plan for future construction projects. District staff toured every school and facility in the district to assess its needs. Those needs were prioritized and then studied by the Board of Education, administration and a patron-based bond task force to determine the vital projects to include in the 2013 bond election. 9. Why do we need a fifth high school?
In the 2012-13 school year, the district saw an increase in nearly 600 students from the previous year. The district’s elementary classes are much larger than the upper grades. It is anticipated that the district could have between 1,662 and 2,380 additional high school students by the time the current students in grades K-3 reach high school.
With the district’s four high schools already experiencing large student populations, the best solution to handle the growth is building a new high school. Now is the time to build an additional high school to handle the district’s current and future growth.
10. Why is it necessary to upgrade facilities and what types of facility upgrades will be a part of the bond?
More than half of the district’s school buildings are more than 20 years old. It is important to the district to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars by taking good care of existing facilities. Due to budget reductions in the past, many maintenance projects were delayed. It is vital that projects to maintain the district’s current facilities are made in order to continue to provide quality learning environments for students.
In addition, the replacement of windows and doors in some of the district’s older buildings will provide an opportunity for additional energy efficiency.
11. What upgrades would be made to technology and why?
The district’s goal is to provide increased student access to technology to better prepare students for the global world. This bond would provide the district with the ability to replace hardware and catch up on deferred replacements, upgrade and enhance digital classrooms to acquire newer versions of proven devices or next generation devices, increase student access to technology by enhancing the district’s device foundation, and upgrade infrastructure and network hardware.
12. What safety and security improvements are included in the bond?
Safety and security of students and staff is a priority in the district. In order to make sure schools are as safe as they can be, bond money would be allocated to support school safety enhancements across the district. This includes adding doors to classrooms that currently do not have them, making school entrance improvements to enhance security, and enhancing safety technology equipment, such as cameras and door alarms on school property.
13. How will this bond improve student achievement?
Research has shown us that students learn best in quality educational environments that are safe and positive. It is the goal of the Board of Education and district staff to use bond dollars to enhance the district’s facilities, continue the tradition of academic success and increase space for student growth.
