Wichita Public Schools administration recommended a bond issue proposal to the Board of Education on Monday, May 4, 2026. The plan was developed with district and community feedback, facility data and enrollment projections and strategic planning. It is anticipated that the Board of Education will make a formal recommendation of a bond referendum at the June 1 meeting.

BOND 2026
The 2026 bond is an opportunity for our community to come together and build for the future. WPS knows that Wichita values a strong community within its schools.
Bond Issue Proposal
The bond proposal is divided into two questions. Question 1 must pass for Question 2 to pass.
- If Question 1 passes, property taxes would remain the same. A homeowner would not see an increase to what they currently pay.
- If Question 2 passes, the tax rate would increase with an anticipated impact of an additional $50 a year ($4.16 a month) for the owner of a $200,000 home compared to what is being paid today.
Community and staff feedback guided the decision for a two-question proposal. Our survey data shows 77% of respondents support a bond if it means no change from what they're currently paying in property tax, and 59% of respondents support a bond if it means an annual investment of $50 or less.
Proposal-at-a-Glance
Question 1
| Project Name | Cost |
| (A) Build New FutureReady Center for Trades |
$28.2M |
| (B) Rebuild Truesdell Middle School | $103.9M |
| (C) Rebuild Black Elementary School | $44.2M |
| (D) Rebuild McLean Elementary School | $44.2M |
| (E) Rebuild Chisholm Trail Elementary, add middle school to make it a K–8 School | $81.3M |
| (F) Add middle school wing to Cessna Elementary to make it a K-8 School | $45.3M |
| (G) North High School Preservation | $20M |
| (H) East High School Preservation | $20M |
| (J) Improve Traffic Flow at Select Schools | $5M |
| (K) HVAC in PE & Other Learning Spaces (11 middle schools, 5 high schools and 1 FutureReady Center) | $15M |
| Total Cost for Question 1 | $407.1M |
If Question 1 passes, the current property tax rate would not change.
Question 2
| Project Name | Cost |
| (I) Preservation at four 50-70 year old High Schools | $4M |
| (L) Move Horace Mann to Hadley & Move Irving to Horace Mann | $11M |
| (M) Renovate OK Elem. into Early Childhood Center | $9M |
| (N) Improve CTE spaces at South High School | $8.4M |
| (O) Improve CTE spaces at Northwest High School | $7M |
| (P) Improve CTE spaces and parking at West High School | $9.2M |
| (Q) Improve CTE spaces and update secondary auditorium at Heights High School | $11.3M |
| (R) Rebuild Coleman Middle School, renovate current building to consolidate alternative programs (Chester Lewis, EIA and Gateway) |
$106M |
| (S) Rebuild Adams Elementary School | $42M |
| Total Cost for Question 2 | $207.9M |
If Question 2 passes, the tax rate would increase with an anticipated impact of an additional $50 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home compared to what is being paid today.
Total Cost: $615,000,000
*Costs rounded to the nearest hundred-thousand.
Bond Project Details
- (A) Build a FutureReady Center for Trades
- (B) Rebuild Truesdell Middle School
- (C) Rebuild Black Elementary
- (D) Rebuild McLean Elementary
- (E) Rebuild Chisholm Trail Elementary
- (F) Convert Cessna Elementary School to K-8
- (G) and (H) Preservation of Wichita East High School and Wichita North High School
- (I) Preservation four high schools that are between 50 and 70-years-old
- (J) Address traffic flow around select schools
- (K) Add HVAC to PE and other learning space
- (L) Move Horace Mann to Hadley and Irving to Horace Mann
- (M) Renovate OK to Early Childhood Center
- (N) Improve CTE spaces and other improvements at South High School
- (O) Improve CTE spaces at Northwest High School
- (P) Improve CTE spaces and parking at West High School
- (Q) Improve CTE spaces and update secondary auditorium at Heights High School
- (R) Rebuild Coleman Middle School
- (S) Rebuild Adams Elementary
(A) Build a FutureReady Center for Trades
A new FutureReady Center for Trades would be built on the Wichita East High School campus. General carpentry, HVAC, electrical and plumbing pathways would be the focus of this facility. This central location allows all WPS students to access courses, credentials and certifications and utilize expertise from both WPS and WSU Tech staff. This project will also address drop-off and pick up challenges at East High.
(B) Rebuild Truesdell Middle School
A rebuilt Truesdell Middle School would be located on the same property to replace the existing building. A new building would assist with operational efficiencies in addition to providing a better overall staff and student experience. This neighborhood school is Wichita’s highest attended middle school.
(C) Rebuild Black Elementary
(D) Rebuild McLean Elementary
(E) Rebuild Chisholm Trail Elementary
(F) Convert Cessna Elementary School to K-8
(G) and (H) Preservation of Wichita East High School and Wichita North High School
Wichita’s two oldest high schools have undergone extensive structural, foundation and other work to maintain their historic integrity. This funding would help offset the work that still needs to be completed, much of which is not visible to those in or around the building. This amount would not pay for this work entirely.
(I) Preservation four high schools that are between 50 and 70-years-old
Four Wichita high schools are approximately 50 to 70-years-old. West High School, South High School, Heights High School and Northwest High School have minor structural repairs that should be addressed now. This includes some roof repairs, brick restoration, drainage or grading work and foundation work.
(J) Address traffic flow around select schools
This project would begin to address traffic flow around Christa McAuliffe K-8 Academy, Isely Traditional Magnet K-8 School, and Seltzer Elementary School. Improvements would be accomplished with a variety of tactics, including moving traffic flow onto WPS property, purchasing surrounding property to remove vehicles from on-street parking and/or on-property improvements to separate vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
(K) Add HVAC to PE and other learning space
The project would add air conditioning to all middle and high school gymnasiums that currently do not have it.
Middle schools where air conditioning would be added are Allison Traditional Magnet Middle School, Marshall Middle School, Hamilton Middle School, Curtis Middle School (two gyms), Stucky Middle School (two gyms), Mead Middle School, Brooks STEM and Arts Magnet Middle School, Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle School, Pleasant Valley Middle School, Robinson Middle School and the former Hadley Middle School, which will be repurposed as part of another project.
High Schools where air conditioning would be added are Northwest High School, North High School, South High School, West High School and Heights High School.
The project would add air conditioning to the FutureReady Center for Manufacturing.
(L) Move Horace Mann to Hadley and Irving to Horace Mann
(M) Renovate OK to Early Childhood Center
(N) Improve CTE spaces and other improvements at South High School
Fire safety labs would be added, and collision repair spaces would be expanded. This project also focuses on safety improvements, which include updates for intercom systems, lighting, parking and storm shelter vestibule doors. Auditorium lighting will be updated and the existing HVAC system will be optimized to improve comfort throughout the building.
(O) Improve CTE spaces at Northwest High School
(P) Improve CTE spaces and parking at West High School
A multi-purpose space would be added to West High School to serve programs such as JROTC, girls wrestling and more. Culinary labs will be updated. This project also focuses on safety improvements, which include updates for intercom systems, lighting and storm shelter vestibule doors. Parking will be resurfaced and spaces added. The existing HVAC system will be optimized to improve comfort throughout the building. Auditorium lighting will be updated.
(Q) Improve CTE spaces and update secondary auditorium at Heights High School
Woodworking and welding program spaces would be expanded and renovated with updated paint booths and HVAC. This project also focuses on safety improvements, which include updates for intercom systems, lighting and storm shelter vestibule doors. The existing HVAC system will be optimized to improve comfort throughout the building.
(R) Rebuild Coleman Middle School
(S) Rebuild Adams Elementary
What is a bond?
A school bond is a way for a local school district to borrow money for major building and facility projects, similar to how a family might take out a mortgage to buy or renovate a home. In Kansas, a school bond must be approved by voters. If approved, the district repays the bond over time using local property taxes.
Importantly, a bond is used for long‑term investments in buildings and infrastructure. It can’t be used for day‑to‑day school expenses such as paying teacher salaries or other operational expenses.
Why now?
The average age of Wichita Public Schools' buildings is 60 years old, and many buildings aren’t adequate for today’s teaching and learning. WPS believes that students deserve learning environments to match their potential and staff deserve to work in high-quality spaces. WPS continues to care for existing facilities and systems – sometimes well beyond what is feasible.
Aging infrastructure and changing community dynamics present unique challenges that can’t be addressed by capital funds. WPS believes that students deserve learning environments to match their potential and staff deserve to work in high-quality spaces.