KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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Moldy, old and run-down are all adjectives that can used to describe the inside of Central Middle School.
There were enough "yes" votes to pass a $180 million dollar school bond proposed by the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools district to improve school buildings like Central Middle School.
Back in September, KSHB 41’s Rachel Henderson took a tour of the inside.
"It’s just an equity issue too," said Jim Schraeder, a community member who voted "yes" on the bond issue.
Schraeder says Central looks just like it did when his daughter attended years ago. He knows a thing or two about using a 100-year-old space every day. We met at his 115-year-old home. But even he’s made repairs over the years.
"They can’t learn if they’re freezing, if there’s water dripping from the ceiling," Schraeder said.
Schraeder volunteers with an organization called A Stronger Future, which advocated for the bond passage.
"It was so exciting, especially when I saw the margin, the 2 to 1 margin," Schraeder said.
The bond issue passed with more than 65% of the vote.
Schraeder's excitement is coupled with relief.
It’s the second time the district tried to pass a school improvement bond.
The last one, proposed on the May 2024 ballot, was $420 million and did not include a zero-tax increase like November's. Voters rejected this bond issue.
"It was a hard time to ask for people to increase their taxes, and the school district really did listen,” Schraeder said.
Still, the district received criticism about improving academics before buildings.
"We’re doing both," said Randy Lopez, the president of the KCKPS board at a town hall Oct. 19 when asked about the bond. "We have invested to and continue investing in upgrading our curriculum so we have the most up-to-date and best curriculum in our classrooms for our students."
With a reduced dollar amount, there’s still projects this bond didn’t cover.
So Schraeder says he’s not getting too comfortable and doesn’t want voters to either.
"Don’t rest because, ‘Oh, good, we passed a bond issue, we don’t need to do anything else,'" he said. "I think it’s important that everybody supports our youth, you know, that’s our future."
To learn more about the proposed projects, visit the district’s website. It also features its own tour of Central Middle School on its YouTube channel.
In a "Thank You" message posted to the district's YouTube channel, Lopez thanks voters for their support.
"Your investment allows us to create lasting, impactful changes that will benefit our students and community for generations," Lopez said in the video. "Your support is a step toward more equitable access to more safe, modern learning environments aligning with our North Star goal: by 2031 ensuring 100% of our students graduate with a Diploma+ endorsement without dispairities across racial or gender groups and meeting or exceeding the state's average graduation rate."
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