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| At overcrowded Heights High School, some students don't sit in desks because there isn't room to accomodate them. |
FACT
CHECK - Frequently Asked Questions about the Wichita Public Schools 2008 bond issue
Submit your questions here. Common questions will be posted to this site.
Now that the bond issue passed, what is the first priority?
The district created an overall construction schedule for all bond projects in order to look at phasing of work and the ability to “package” certain types of construction in order to receive better pricing. This schedule would also determine timing of the sale of bonds to fund the work. The district could start designing some of the projects as early as March 2009 and begin construction as early as July 2009. To see the phasing plan, click here.
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How do facility improvements support student achievement?
Several studies show that school facility conditions have a significant impact on student academic achievement. Studies show that students attending schools in better condition outperform other students by 5-10 percentage points. Students are also more connected to their school, have a greater sense of pride, and are more likely to take care of the school if it’s in better condition.
Studies also show that building conditions greatly enhance the teaching environment. Plus, it's easier to recruit and retain high-quality teachers when they can teach in better facilities and have a better working environment.
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How do smaller class sizes impact student learning?
Studies show that class size reduction, something that the BOE is committed to and is supported by the bond issue, leads to higher student achievement and overcrowding makes it harder for students to learn. Studies and teachers report that with smaller class sizes, there are better opportunities for one-on-one interaction with students, more opportunities for small-group activities and more opportunities for students to engage and participate in classroom activities.
In a recent report to the BOE, Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research predicts a 20-percent growth in the population of school age children in the next five years in northeast and southeast Wichita. This bond issue plan has been developed to address future needs, in addition to current facility needs.
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Do fine arts and athletics really impact student achievement?
It is a FACT that LESS THAN ONE-THIRD of the facility improvements in the bond issue plan are for fine arts, physical education and athletic facilities. Research has shown that student involvement in arts and athletics activities is directly linked to higher academic performance, stronger school connections, higher graduation rates and fewer discipline problems. Construction will support critical classroom activities and opportunities to connect students to their schools, and will provide safe environments for these core student activities. All students are required to have fine arts and physical education credits to graduate from high school, so improvements will impact every one of Wichita’s high school students. Additionally, both fine arts and athletic facilities have multiple uses. Improvements will significantly expand the number of students who are able to use state-of-the-art facilities for practice, performance and competition; will provide every high school with a space in which they can gather all of their students at once; and will enhance the opportunity for non-district groups to rent these facilities for community events.
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Instead of using safe rooms, why not build basements?
We want our students to be in the safest environment possible during severe weather. The bond issue will support the construction of 60 safe rooms so every student will have a safe place to go. Safe rooms are the only places approved by FEMA to withstand an F5 tornado. Safe rooms are not solely used as storm shelters, but are constructed as educational spaces - multipurpose rooms, classroom wings, physical education spaces and libraries - and then “hardened” to meet FEMA standards. FEMA will reimburse the district $18 million to harden the safe rooms.
If basements were to be built, elevators would have to be installed due to ADA requirements and if power was lost, the elevators wouldn’t work. The schools couldn’t use basements as classrooms because state law prohibits younger-aged children to be in classrooms below ground level. Plus it would cost more to dig and construct basements under already existing structures than it would be to harden a structure for a new FEMA safe room.
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Are your buildings at capacity?
The Board is committed to lowering class sizes (18-20 in elementary schools, 22-24 in middle and high schools). A report to the Board of Education in September showed the capacity numbers for schools based on these critical class size standards. The report showed that many of our schools are currently unable to meet class size reduction goals due to inadequate classroom space, and that the concern will be more acute as anticipated student population growth occurs.
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Can’t you just change boundaries to fix overcrowding?
Overcrowding at the schools with the most urgent need can’t simply be addressed by changing neighborhood boundaries. There are a few schools in the district where limited classroom space exists, but they are not in the same part of the city as those schools which are overcrowded. Forced busing would need to be implemented to shift student enrollment, transportation costs would increase, and boundaries for schools all across Wichita would need to be changed due to the relationship between elementary and middle schools flowing into high school feeder patterns. Rather than take a short-term view of the challenge, the district intends to undertake a significant boundary review process at such time as new high schools are under construction. This will need to be done to establish new high school feeder patterns, and will provide a meaningful long-term solution.
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Why can't you use exisiting vacant buildings instead of building new schools?
Existing vacant buildings are not a viable option. The Wichita Public Schools owns six buildings which are not currently being used for classroom activities. These buildings were closed because they were too small, too old and too expensive to maintain. Were the district to renovate these buildings as well as other improvements to meet the needs of district students, the renovations would be more costly than the construction of new, more efficient facilities. The FACT is that this is the most cost-inefficient solution that the district could possibly consider.
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Will salaries be paid for with the bond issue?
Absolutely not. By law, the money from the bond issue proposal can only be used for facility improvements. No staff salaries can be, nor will be, paid for through the bond issue.
Results of a Standard & Poor study commissioned in 2007 by Governor Sebelius reaffirm that the Wichita Public Schools uses its money wisely. With a rating just above 95 percent, our district is one of the most efficient school districts in the state, exceeding the efficiency rating of peers to which we are frequently compared. Our administrative costs are also half of the state’s average for school districts.
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Is now the right time for a bond issue considering what’s going on nationally with the economy?
It is a FACT that what is going on nationally with the economy doesn’t completely reflect what is happening here in Wichita. According to the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce's website, Wichita is the number-one real estate market in the United States. Wichita also ranks second in the nation for Best Cities for Jobs in 2008. An article in The Wichita Business Journal's October 3 edition stated that major employers continue to add jobs.
The district has estimated our proposed bond interest rates at 4.75 percent. The credit challenges and market will soon work through this supply/demand challenge and may well result in rates below our 4.75 percent target. With the 2000 bond issue a similar scenario occurred in the years immediately following the events of September 11, 2001. With lower interest rates and refinancing opportunities on bonds sold for the 2000 issue, taxpayers will now save over $50 million in total cost.
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What was the economic impact of the 2000 bond issue?
According to a recent study by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research, Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research, the 2000 bond issue supported nearly 9,000 jobs during the 7-year construction phase, with an economic impact of those wages estimated at more than $272 million. At its peak in the 2005-06 year, bond issue construction supported 2,259 direct construction positions.
Equally important, more than 6,000 Wichita citizens surveyed in the fall of 2005 said that overwhelmingly, the Wichita Public Schools delivered on its promises to improve school facilities on time, on budget, and in support of our community’s children.
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How does Wichita’s bond mill levy compare to surrounding districts?
istorically, bond and interest payments in the Wichita Public Schools have been among the lowest in the area. In 2007, the latest year for which school mill levies are available, Wichita had the second-lowest bond and interest payment in Sedgwick County. As you can see from the chart, even after passage of the 2008 bond election, Wichita would still remain the second lowest in the area for bond and interest mill levies. Click here for a larger image.
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Can other funds be used to make these improvements?
The district’s Capital Outlay fund is utilized for ongoing needs as well as unfunded state and federal mandates. Capital Outlay funds were never intended to support major facility improvements. Bond issue funding is the manner in which Kansas school districts typically fund facility improvements.
Upon passage of the bond issue, capital funds will support other improvement projects in schools across the district. The capital improvement projects will occur at the same time as bond construction. Some of the capital improvements include upgrades to school support spaces; replacing old windows with new energy-efficient windows; adding parking lots and bus loading areas for student safety; and other building upgrades. Most school projects include capital improvements along with the bond issue improvements.
Annual capital funds are approximately $24 million. Using capital funds to accomplish all bond projects, along with the support projects to be funded from capital, would take an excess of 25 years to complete, with no provision for inflation. Using capital projects on critical priorities will prevent the district from maintaining facilities already in existence and create significant safety concerns.
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How did some of our facilities, especially fine arts, PE and athletic facilities, get run down?
The district’s maintenance budget was continually cut for many years during the 1990’s due to inadequate funding from the state and hasn’t had increases to reflect the significant increases in costs during the past few years. When the resources are limited and the needs of core instructional programs are given first priority, fine arts, PE and athletic facilities will often suffer. The capital outlay fund is utilized for capital improvements and repairs. But, with many of our school buildings between 40 to 80 years old, the capital fund is stretched to its limits in attempting to accomplish all the needed improvements and repairs. The capital fund was never intended to pay for major facility improvements such as new schools needed due to overcrowding in the northeast and southeast areas of Wichita. Before the 2000 bond, the Wichita Public Schools hadn’t had a bond issue election for 34 years. In 2000, the needs totaled $485 million, but the bond issue covered $285 million of those needs. Many of those needs still exist. This bond issue will allow the district to take care of the facility needs of today and allow the district to prepare for future needs.
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How will the bond issue bring MORE than $370 million to the Wichita Public Schools?
The bond issue will maximize the community's investment. It is a FACT that the bond issue triggers additional funding available to support our schools, on top of the bond issue funds.
- $171 million in capital outlay – will be used to support facility improvements that are not in the bond issue plan. The money is already in the district’s budget. However, if the bond issue isn’t approved, the projects currently slated to be funded out of capital will likely not occur since that money would need to be redirected to more critical needs.
- $18 million in FEMA grants – that would go towards “hardening” of spaces to be used as of safe rooms.
- State would pay 25% - Under Kansas law, Wichita taxpayers contribute tax dollars each year to help school districts throughout the state build and remodel their schools. Each year, Wichita tax dollars have been used by districts across the state to renovate and expand facilities. The bond issue plan will allow Wichitans to benefit, as the state will pay 25 percent of the total cost— $92.5 million plus corresponding interest.
- $40 million (est.) in new facilities weighting – The state provides additional funding for two years to support districts which construct new spaces in the form of new facilities weighting. As a result of the 2000 bond issue, our district received approximately $33 million from this resource. It is estimated that the 2008 bond issue will provide $40 million in additional funding.
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Why not a sales tax?
By state law, school districts do not have the authority to levy a sales tax. Cities and counties can levy a sales tax for “special purposes”. If the City of Wichita chose to levy a sales tax to support schools, the revenue collected would likely be divided up among the five school districts that have some portion of their boundary falling within the city limits.
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Wichita Public Schools 2008 Bond Issue