Shawnee County School Bond Vote Set

The Shawnee County Unified School District 345, Kansas, will ask voters in April to approve a tax increase of less than 1 mill to support a $57.5 million capital improvement program.

The current state school construction bond support law in Kansas would provide $15 million for the renewal effort, with the remaining $42.5 million covered with proceeds from general obligation bonds.

The district had been planning for a 2016 bond election, but superintendent Mike Mathes said the schedule should be advanced to take advantage of low interest rates.

Proposals now being heard in the Legislature could also mean the end of the Kansas school bond support program, he said.

“If we wait until 2016, we’re not guaranteed that [$15 million], and interest rates are only going to go up,” he told trustees.

Trustee James Adams agreed with Mathes. “In the long run, this will save people money and give the students what they need,” he said.

Proceeds would be used to build a new middle school in north Topeka and convert the existing middle school into an elementary school.

The district’s plan includes renovations at three schools.

If the capital program is approved at the April 2 election, the new middle school would be operational by fall 2015. According to Mathes, the facility renovations would be completed by fall 2016.

Trustee Frank Henderson Jr. called the capital improvement program an investment.

“It is more imperative than ever before that our children be college- and career-ready, that they have the necessary resources, and are prepared,” Henderson said. “We want to make sure they have those resources.”

The new middle school is expected to cost $33 million, with the conversion budget set at $4 million.

The district will refund $4.3 million of outstanding debt with the proceeds of the bonds.

Approval would raise the property tax on a $150,000 home in the district by $18 a year, according to school officials.

The district 345’s $13 million of outstanding GO debt is rated Aa2 by Moody’s Investors Service.

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