Olathe Public School voters approved a $389 million bond referendum that the district says will fund facility upgrades, school consolidation efforts and technology improvements.
Unofficial final results from the mail-in vote tallied on Tuesday showed about 63% of voters approved the issue. Of the 24,304 ballots cast, 15,344 were in support and 8,960 were against the referendum.
Olathe Superintendent Brent Yeager said in a statement that the district was “incredibly thankful” for voters’ support.
“This bond provides us the opportunity to reinvest in our facilities, build upon excellence and enhance our schools, which are the heartbeat of our community,” he said.
School board member Claire Reagan said she is “grateful for the investment” in the district.
“Our community has — yet again — demonstrated just how much we value our Olathe Public Schools. The collective support our residents have shown for our district leaves me feeling heartened and hopeful,” she told the Post in a statement Tuesday. “The future is bright when we show up for one another.”
What the bond will fund
Of the $389 million, $70 million will go toward the district’s Capital Improvement Plan. This covers building improvements and maintenance, including HVAC systems, roofs and paving parking lots.
The next largest item is $68 million toward school consolidation.
With the bond, the district will construct a new building for all Fairview and Northview Elementary students at Northview’s current location. Central and Ridgeview Elementary schools are also set to consolidate into a new building at Central’s site.
Other bond funds will be allocated in the following ways:
- $64 million for districtwide technology replacement and classroom audio enhancements,
- $55 million to update high school facilities,
- $50 million for athletics and activities, including creating multipurpose rooms and additional outdoor fields to accommodate expanding girls’ sports,
- $32 million to rebuild Meadow Lane Elementary School, which has been operating since 1953,
- $20 million to update middle school facilities,
- $15 million for furniture replacement,
- $10 million for safety and security,
- $4 million to update elementary schools, and
- $1 million for musical instrument replacement.
The funds cannot go toward staffing or day-to-day operations.
With the referendum approved, the district will now sell bonds to investors and repay that debt over time.
The district says it does not plan to increase its mill levy, or property tax rate, with the bond measure approval.
Response to bond proposal
Some critics have questioned how the district could ask for a bond measure when Olathe Public Schools have also seen declining enrollment in recent years.
At a board of education meeting in November, board member Brad Boyd asked Olathe schools’ Chief Financial Officer John Hutchison that question.
“While we no longer need the bond funds to accommodate our growth,” Hutchison said in response, “we do have an obligation to maintain the buildings that we do have [and] seek efficiencies.”
Hutchison said the bond would also help free up operational funds to pay for efforts to attract and retain staff.
Olathe Public Schools, as well as other districts in Johnson County, have faced declining enrollment in recent years, which officials have attributed to a combination of lower birth rates, rising housing costs and an aging population.
The district announced last month that it will be consolidating schools after a three-phase study into enrollment, facilities and school boundaries.
Confusion over Chiefs partnership
In December, about a month before the board of education approved putting the bond referendum to a vote, the Kansas City Chiefs announced plans to relocate its headquarters and training facility to Olathe to a site near Olathe Northwest High School.
Superintendent Brent Yeager was quoted in a release from the city and Olathe Chamber of Commerce, celebrating the move.
“We recognize the potential this move brings not only in terms of economic growth and community visibility, but also in the possibility for meaningful partnerships that support student learning and community engagement,” Yeager said at the time.
The release mentions the possibility of a stadium for the district as part of the Chiefs’ move.
After the Olathe school board approved the bond language, which included $50 million for athletics and activities, including building additional outdoor fields, some Olathe voters questioned whether bond funds would go toward creating a new stadium with the Chiefs.
The district has since said no formal partnership yet exists with the team and that no bond funds approved Tuesday will be used for any projects related to the Chiefs.
“I want to reiterate that no official plans [with the Chiefs] have been formalized or finalized,” Erin Schulte, assistant communications director for the district said in an email to the Post. “This includes any decisions regarding the location of district-funded fields that would be constructed upon passage of Bond 2026 — independent of any Chiefs partnership.”
Past bonds
The last bond measure was on the ballot in Olathe in 2022. That bond, which was for $300 million, was approved by voters with 67.7% support.
That bond added $40 million in funds to build the Olathe Innovation Campus, which opened in January. At the Innovation Campus, Olathe high school students can take career-oriented courses, including in fields like emergency medical services, construction technology and culinary arts.
About $60 million of the 2022 bond went to rebuilding Santa Fe Trail Middle School.
Olathe voters also passed a $156 million bond in 2016. That measure passed with 72% supporting it.
The district can now begin issuing bonds and scheduling projects.
