Comments on: Wichita’s bond issue proposal

By: tellmemore

tellmemore — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:22:32 +0000

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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By: Fballfn

Fballfn — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:37:36 +0000

Wake Up Wichita its 2008 can we please begin to catch up !

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By: rogerwilco

rogerwilco — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:03:20 +0000

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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By: Outsider

Outsider — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:06:37 +0000

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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By: Commish

Commish — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:52:59 +0000

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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By: Barry S.

Barry S. — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:16:39 +0000

Who needs 56 tennis courts in one city?

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By: Lewis

Lewis — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:31:07 +0000

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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By: Lewis

Lewis — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:28:11 +0000

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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By: PanFan

PanFan — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:04:11 +0000

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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By: '90 grad

'90 grad — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:01:17 +0000

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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