Wichita’s bond issue proposal
July 29, 2008 @ 10:01 a.m. by Joannaby joanna
If you didn’t catch the story in today’s paper about the proposed changes to the Wichita public school district’s bond issue, it talks about how four schools would not get a pool (East and North would still get a pool under the new proposal). And none of the seven schools would get new tennis courts.
Now I’ve been out there to the pools and to the tennis courts and I know how bad they are. I’m sure some of you have seen them, too. I mean, the story I wrote in mid-May, Southeast AD Mark Lamb told me that every so often rebar has to be sawed off because it’s sticking up out of the tennis court’s surface.
So what are your thoughts? Is this a big deal? The proposed bond issue would still have plenty of athletic improvements if the school board accepts these cuts. Is it enough. Your thoughts, please.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:59 am
While I support and understand the need for many updates to the schools and especially the athletic facilities, I think “moderation” is the approach needed and demonstrated by these changes and scaling back of the bond issue proposal. I would like more in depth articles regarding where the capital improvement monies have been spent over the years….there have been a LOT! That’s what upsets this taxpayer and makes me look at any bond issue with a skeptical eye.
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July 29th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Some time ago, before Derby joined AVCTL Div 1, i had heard Wichita offered Derby a deal. Join the City League of Wichita and become a member of the Greater Wichita Sports League. Dont know exactly why Derby didn’t accept. But i was told that part of the deal was that Derby would have to share all their Athletic Facilities with Wichita. Basically, you would have Norh High hosting South at Derby, similar to Carpenter Stadium. I guess this would have eased the facility issues in Wichita………i guess!!!
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July 29th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I think it’s ridiculous. The athletic facilities are really bad in the city. Of course I love sports so I’m biased.
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July 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
well at least the tennis courts and swimming pools are getting some consideration.the little league football fields are total crap and the city dont even think about addressing the problem.many of the fields dont even have a scoreboard or sideline markers.the fields are marked at the beginning of the season and never again.the coaches never know how much time is left and quite often there is even arguments over the correct score.it has always been this way and i guess it always will.the parks and recreation guy dont care about football,that is by his own admission and all he wants to do is get the season over.citys much smaller than wichita have far better facilities for youth football,it is embarrassing when out of town teams come to play here.on the other hand look at all the money the city pours into youth soccer,and why when did wichita produce the last little pele?
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July 29th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
Actually getting to the polls and casting a vote is the best statement one can make. Not so many days ago I was part of a casual conversation between boosters of one of our local high school football teams. These are people who invest a considerable of time year round in support of their child’s sport. When the discussion leaned towards the school bond all agreed the funding was desperately needed. Yet only a third of those present were even registered to vote. It has stayed on my mind and have wondered if this small group represented the public as a whole who would naturally be proponents of the school bond issue. Perhaps, Joanna, you could do a poll asking those here 1) if they are for or against the bond 2) if they are registered to vote 3) if not, do they intend to register in time for this issue or 4) will not be voting and why.
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July 29th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Maybe once road construction on Kellogg is done, then the city can worry about getting nicer facilities. Ha…that’ll never happen.
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July 29th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Why in the world would Derby want to join the City League?
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July 29th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
3 words…Per Capita Income…
This is the #1 reason why the city’s facilities stink. It all stems from economic conditions. I’m not saying I know how to turn Wichita around economically…I don’t have the first clue, but the city is simply not in a position to pay for alot of this stuff right now, and might never be.
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July 29th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Yes at least two schools are getting pools, East and North, which I appreciate and our swim teams appreciate. However, the bigger issue with the pools is that the ones we have are not even useful for PE classes. East has no pool at all and North, West, South and Southeast have pools without enough shallow end space to teach kids how to swim. These days, there are fewer and fewer kids learning to swim at the neighborhood pools in the summer. Every year we hear of kids drowning at local pools and most of those tragedies could have been avoided if the young person had learned how to swim. I love all athletics, but swimming is the only sport that could save your life!
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July 29th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Rebar has to be sawed off from the tennis courts … that’s normal, right?
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July 29th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I really don’t think pools are that necessary. I would think that the WPS could make some kind of deal with the area Y’s for the swim teams and education for PE with units on swimming every so often and just worry about upgrading the necessary facilities such as the tennis courts, gyms and creating more football fields. Even the Goddards, Maize’s and Andovers don’t have pools and everyone always considers their facilities so nice.
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July 29th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I think if the average Wichita taxpayer thought he was getting good value for the money, there would not be so much resistance to another bond issue. However, when you look at the test scores and the dropout rate, it just seems like we’re always being asked to put more money into an enterprise that isn’t meeting minimum performance standards. It’s too bad the sports facilities are in such poor shape, but what did the folks at USD 259 do with all of the money from the LAST bond issue? Schools can be successful in sports without having the latest and greatest in facilities.
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July 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
If i’m at East, call Adrian Griffin. North high, call Barry Sanders. South high, maybe Eck could help or even a Steve Woodbery. The point is this, why haven’t any alumni come forward to help some of these schools? It’s a shame when middle schools in Maize, Towanda, Benton, and Bluestem have better facilities than any Wichita high school.
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July 30th, 2008 at 6:04 am
I didnt say i thought Derby should have joined the City League, in fact i am certainly happy they did not. I said Derby was offered a Deal from Wichita, which they turned down!
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July 30th, 2008 at 9:28 am
This bond issue will be a strong statement to families with children. I am the last of my group that graduated from Wichita South that still lives in Wichita and all of my friends left because they wanted their kids to go to “better” schools. Of course test scores are influential, but we know that good kids get a great education in Wichita schools if they follow a college preparation plan. The most powerful factor in the decision is simply going to the schools and looking at the facilities - go to the City League school and then go to Maize or Andover and the decision is easy. Wichita is not investing in the future as these communities are.
My friends didn’t interview a single teacher to make the decision to leave, they compared facilities and we lost more near 6 figure, dual-income families from Wichita’s tax base. If we keep this up, the only people left paying taxes in Wichita will be the “taxpayers’ advocates” (they certainly aren’t economists or business people) and poor people, which doesn’t bode well for Wichita’s future. Moving a professional business to Kansas, well the sign is up that Wichita doesn’t invest in the community and the labor force by investing in its schools; consider the Kansas City suburbs instead.
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July 30th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Don’t forget, Wichita by far pays the least mills of property tax to education in the area. If I remember correctly we pay half or almost a third of the amount of many of our suburbs, even after the bond would be passed.
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July 30th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Who needs 56 tennis courts in one city?
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July 30th, 2008 at 10:52 am
Interesting comments from those who have posted so far. Mr. Lewis brings up an excellent point about mill levies. USD #259 mill levies are significantly lower than any other USD in the immediate area. I’m appalled that ICTaero even asks the question as to “what did the folks at USD #259 do with all the money from the LAST bond issue? Are YOU kidding me? Where have YOU been? Where every dime of that bond issue was spent was well documented at the board level, with the bond over sight committee, on T.V. and in the newspaper. More was utemately done with those funds than was even promised before the bond election.
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July 30th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
My kids started out in the Wichita Schools but now go to schools in the suburbs and yes, we have very good facilities both academic and athletic. Both are important to the development of our kids. Why cut anything out? If there is not enough money, why not make the bond issue for enough money so that it covers everything. We have passed bond issues in our district and the effect on my family and finances is minimal. We are still able to eat and pay the bills. The proposed bond issue will only have a minimal effect on peoples finances and it really is a small price to pay for the well being of our children. They deserve better facilities than what they are getting. Anybody that has attended an athletic event in the suburbs and the city will agree that the difference is astounding and that the facilities in the city are beyond bad. They are an embarrasment to the city and the district. The bond issue is either going to pass or fail. Don’t try and cheapen it by starting to eliminate things. If more money is needed then so be it. One of the biggest problems with the City of Wichita is that we cheapen everything if it looks like there will be some opposition. Look at the Waterwalk as a perfect example. A canal to Old Town and a development similar to Bricktown in OKC would have been nice but since someone thought it would cost too much money we are getting some exciting fountains instead. We should not make the same mistake with this bond issue. The facility upgrades are badly needed. Put the money in for EVERYTHING. If it fails this time, try again. The facilities are so bad that eventually it will pass because sooner or later everyone will wake up and realize how bad the upgrades are needed.
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July 30th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I agree with Outsider. Put everything that’s needed in the bond issue, including the 56 tennis courts & swimming pools. These are not just for Varsity sports, they would also be used in PE, to teach lifetime physical skills. How many people are still playing football in their 30’s-40’s-50’s? But if they learned tennis or swimming in school, maybe the obesity rates would fall some, thus saving everyone money due to health costs. Come on Wichita, have some back-bone. Just how much a month is this going to cost each homeowner….it is minimal, and that needs to be publicized more. You get back what you invest. Who would want to send their kids to the Wichita public schools with these poor facilities, when you have great options nearby in Maize, Goddard, Andover, etc.?
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July 30th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Wake Up Wichita its 2008 can we please begin to catch up !
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July 30th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I am in the Goddard district and we have new schools, great athletic facilities and strong leadership. USD 259 has many problems. Too many people at 37th & Hydraulic doing little or no work. If they would have maintain their facilities over the years they wouldn’t have to replace them all at one time. I think USD 259 is one of the largest districts in the US with the some of the oldest schools. They should destroy half of the schools they have and replace them with bigger, nicer and more efficent schools. Sports should play a huge role in the Bond issues along with technical and college prep classrooms. If you think Maize, Goddard and Andover have nice new schools you should go see all the new schools in the Blue Valley district. Wichita if you provide kids with an enviroment they can be proud of they will excel in all areas, but if you reject this Bond issues then you will get more of the same. Do the right thing and give the kids a chance.
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