‘All the things that obstruct learning': Inside schools Wichita bond issue would rebuild
Editor's note: Before voters decide on a $450 million school bond issue on Feb. 25, The Eagle is profiling many of the schools affected. Find continuing coverage of the bond issue election here.
The biggest expense in the Wichita school district's $450 million bond issue is the plan to rebuild seven schools.
Those buildings — Adams, Black, Caldwell, Irving and McLean elementaries and Coleman and Truesdell middle schools — range in age from 59 to 84 years. They have small classrooms, leaky roofs and foundations, safety and accessibility issues and other problems.
Asked what she would want voters to know, Caldwell teacher Kim Williams said it's important that residents do their research before deciding.
'Just as a walk-through view, the building appears to be usable and fine,' she said. '... If you're in it every single day, then you see all the different things that obstruct learning.'
The rebuilds are expected to cost $287.5 million, according to data provided by the school district.
Some of the rebuilt schools would welcome students from four elementary schools that will be closed as part of the district's facility master plan.
With the bond issue, the district also plans to convert two elementary schools to K-8, consolidate alternative learning programs and build a new early childhood center, a new Future Ready Center for Trades at East High School and new athletic fields at Northeast High School.
Voters within the Wichita school district will decide the issue on Feb. 25.
Here are profiles of each of the seven schools that would be rebuilt:
Lack of classrooms, inaccessible building: Why Wichita seeks to rebuild Adams Elementary
Flooded classrooms, combined gym-lunchroom: Why Black Elementary is on Wichita ballot
Cold classrooms, leaky ceilings: Why rebuilding Wichita's Caldwell school is on the ballot
Dated infrastructure, cramped classrooms: Why Wichita seeks to rebuild Irving Elementary
Small building and little storage: Why rebuilding Wichita's McLean is on the ballot
Flooded hallways, ADA accessibility: Why Wichita seeks to rebuild Truesdell Middle School
Pie-shaped buildings, small classrooms: Why rebuilding Wichita's Coleman is on the ballot
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Collin County Commissioners Unanimously Back Hand-Marked Ballots To Boost Voter Trust
On Monday, the Collin County Commissioners Court approved a move to hand-marked paper ballots for the November 2025 election, pending an implementation plan due later this month. The 4–0 vote marked a sharp policy shift in one of Texas' fastest-growing counties, where electronic voting machines have long been the standard. Commissioner Duncan Webb was not present for the vote. While the new ballots will be marked by hand, officials emphasized that tabulation will remain electronic. The court directed county staff to return with a plan by June 23 detailing how the change will be implemented. 'I'd like to take the opportunity to make a motion to adopt hand-marked paper ballots for the upcoming November 2025 election and to direct staff to present to the court a plan for implementation by June 23,' County Judge Chris Hill said during the meeting. Commissioner Cheryl Williams seconded the motion. Collin County's recently appointed Elections Administrator, Kaleb Breaux, told the court that the transition is logistically possible, though not without some caveats. To remain compliant with federal law under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the county must maintain approximately 300 'express vote' electronic units—about one per polling location—with additional backup machines. Breaux said the county could potentially eliminate 'express touch curbside units,' offering additional cost flexibility. The administrator estimated that this might cost $2.4 million, noting that his projections fall well below the $3–4 million figure cited by his predecessor in 2024. Breaux also indicated that the county may qualify for some HAVA sub-grants to offset costs. Monday's vote comes nearly a year after the court declined to adopt a similar proposal. In August 2024, the Commissioners Court directed staff to explore the feasibility of a hand-marked ballot system following a failed motion to implement it that year. At that time, several commissioners raised concerns over cost, timing, and logistical readiness. Public advocacy for election system reform intensified across Texas last year, particularly following a series of incidents in which loopholes in election laws had allowed certain primary ballots—including those of prominent political figures—to be identified and publicized through legal records requests. Shannon Barnett, founder of the nonpartisan group My Vote Counts in Texas, has been a vocal advocate for hand-marked ballots and praised Monday's decision. 'Big thanks to the Collin County Commissioners—finally, a vote that puts the community first,' Barnett told The Dallas Express in an exclusive statement. 'Your unanimous decision to bring back hand-marked paper ballot elections for the November 2025 election shows a strong commitment to boosting public trust.' Barnett's organization has advocated for a return to in-precinct voting and the elimination of countywide polling places, arguing that current practices compromise ballot secrecy. She has also cited frequent power outages and machine malfunctions in Texas as further justification for hand-marked, hand-counted systems, still legal under state law and already used in nearly 100 Texas counties for absentee ballots. Dallas's ability to conduct the spring 2024 election was disrupted when power outages at polling stations made it impossible for citizens to vote. Critics of electronic voting systems often point to transparency and security concerns. As reported in The Dallas Express, the 2005 bipartisan election reform commission led by former President Jimmy Carter warned that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems often lack transparency and auditability. Though these systems may include paper records today, advocates like Barnett argue that the most straightforward solution is to return entirely to hand-marked paper ballots. The cost has remained a key sticking point. In 2024, Commissioner Susan Fletcher reportedly cited estimates of $3.3 to $4.2 million for the switch and questioned whether the county could shoulder the burden in time for an election. On Monday, however, the court expressed optimism that Breaux's new estimates would make the plan more feasible.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Johnstown city council informs public of park renovation project
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Members of the Johnstown City Council helped inform the public about the approved renovation project of Central Park. Councilman Taylor Clark set up a stand at the gazebo in the park to lay out the project plans, design and other features for the residents to learn about the upcoming park renovations that cost $8 million. Members of the public came to the stand to hear what the councilman had to say. 'We got a design for the park that's going to be not just something that's going to modernize it, but it's going to be something that will be more inclusive for everyone, especially people with disabilities,' Clark said. 'ADA compliance is a huge deal, and modernization is a huge deal, while remembering the history of the park itself.' Plans included a patio place for people to sit down at, a new pavilion for entertainment and a new water feature. The prominent feature, the water fountain in the center of the park, will move over to Sandyvale Park. 'When we put the park back together, there will be new sidewalks, there'll be new benches,' Clark added. 'There'll be a lot of new features of the park that will be more communal for everyone to be able to use.' However, the session did come with a counter protest across the way from the gazebo. Republican nominee for city mayor John DeBarcola and Republican nominee for city council Joe Tartano set up a table to share their perspective as to why the project should not happen. 'They've tried this before,' Tartano said. 'They told everybody when they reduce Main Street and Central Park, it's going to bring people downtown. It's not. It didn't before. It's history. Look into it. After the flood, they redid everything, and it hasn't.' Residents flocked to the park to hear from both sides of the issue. While some picked at bits and pieces of the design, others took strong stances on one side or the other. 'If you had a home, you'd redo your kitchen,' resident Sandy Grodziski said. 'You don't wait 60 years to remodel your house.' 'The park is a great place to meet people. The plans are just incredibly stupid,' resident Catherine-Anne McCluskey said. A main point for those who are against the park renovations is the amount of money going into it. At a price tag of $8 million, they feel the money could have gone elsewhere. 'The money could go to the public safety building,' DeBarcola said. 'The money can go into blight removal. They had so many options on how they could spend this money, and they failed to do that.' Clark has expressed his displeasure with the invoice for the renovations, also saying that the money granted to them by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) during the COVID-19 pandemic could have been allocated elsewhere. The deadline to move the money elsewhere passed in December 2024, which means that the city has to use it before giving it back to the federal government. 'Not only would that be an embarrassment for the city if we were able to do that, it would be very difficult then to move forward, trying to get targeted federal and state funding,' Clark said. 'They're living in the past, and I'm living in the future, so I keep moving up,' Grodziski added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Cardano's ADA Finds 'Strong Support' After Dramatic Price Swings Amid Heightened Volatility
The cryptocurrency market is experiencing heightened volatility amid an escalating feud between President Donald Trump and his former head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk, over the state of the U.S. economy. Cardano's ADA ADA has also seen extreme price swings amid market uncertainties. After dropping from $0.688 to $0.621, ADA found strong support and rebounded, forming an ascending channel with resistance at $0.644, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis model. The technical indicators suggest a potential renewed bullish momentum as the cryptocurrency reclaims the $0.640 level with decreasing volatility. At press time, ADA is trading at $0.66, down about 1.8% over the past 24 hours, while the broader market gauge CoinDesk 20 Index fell 1%. Some recent news within the ADA ecosystem has provided the market with potential catalysts for the token. Institutional interest in the Cardano blockchain continues to grow, with Franklin Templeton, a $1.6 trillion asset manager, now running Cardano nodes. Additionally, Norway's NBX has recently partnered with Cardano to build Bitcoin-based DeFi, highlighting the blockchain's secure design for institutional adoption. The successful execution of the first Bitcoin-to-Cardano transaction involving Ordinals marks a significant milestone that could potentially unlock $1.5 trillion in cross-chain trading opportunities. Technical Analysis Highlights Sharp decline from $0.688 to $0.621 (10.29% drop) occurred on exceptionally high volume. Strong support zone established at $0.620-$0.623 where buyers aggressively stepped in. Recovery formed an ascending channel with resistance at $0.644. Overall range of $0.070 (10.29%) highlights the extreme market conditions. Potential renewed bullish momentum as ADA reclaimed the $0.640 level with decreasing volatility. Hourly price action showed a possible recovery pattern from $0.641 to $0.643. Short-term resistance level established at $0.643-$0.644. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.
