Latest news with #DaneBaxa
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Education leaders, parents concerned after multiple Kansas school bonds fail
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Another school bond failed in Kansas this week. Goddard joins Wichita, Mulvane, and Ness City, whose school bonds fail. The Kansas Department of Education says that about 60% of school bonds passed statewide. Goddard USD 265's bond failure has some parents concerned about what the future entails. 'These kids are going to come in whether we build a new school or not. And all they're doing is taking rooms that are already overcrowded and filling them to the brim,' said Leah Ellis, a parent in USD 265. USD 265 says it plans to welcome more than 1,000 students in the next four years. Goddard's school bond proposed upgrades to aging infrastructure and overcrowding. Augusta school bond passes while Ness City school bond fails 'This growth is coming, and with it, the need to ensure that we continue providing the high-quality educational experience our families expect and deserve,' Dane Baxa, the director of community relations at Goddard Public Schools, said. This comes as school bonds worth millions of dollars have been voted down. Leaders in the education space say that it's important for the districts to communicate more effectively about the needs of the district to its voters. 'Did the district story for the need resonate? And to say that, yes, the need outweighs the cost and this is what we need for our community and our schools to move forward,' Frank Harwood, the deputy commissioner of fiscal and administrative services for the KSDE, said. 'Every one of these dollars end up is somehow educating the child in our schools. And so I think we can't lose the point of how these dollars are being spent and how they're affecting our kids,' G.A. Buie, the executive director for USA Kansas, said. Kids, their future, their long-term success. 'We have to just keep our chin up, look for the next option, keep trying to keep Goddard at the forefront and getting our kids the education they deserve,' said Ellis. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Voters on Goddard's proposed $196 million school bond
GODDARD, Kan. (KSNW) — Goddard is the latest district in a wave asking voters for approval. The school district argues that the bond will improve the lives of its students and attract new ones, but the nearly $200 million price tag is of concern to some voters. At $196 million, USD 265 guarantees the bond will not increase the mill levy tax rate more than 10.25 mills. This translates to roughly $9 a month per $100,000 of appraised home value. Nobody is denying the cost; where the contention lies is whether the cost of stimulating growth is worth the price. 'With more and more housing developments being built and more and more families moving in. The schools are bound to become overcrowded and overwhelmed,' Rachel Purdy, a Goddard voter in favor of the bond, said. Wichita Public Schools lays off 16 employees, making up for budget shortfall With new housing developments coming to the city and a population boom projection, Purdy thinks the tax is worth it. Others in Goddard disagree, arguing that extra money would unfairly impact Goddard's current citizens in favor of new ones. The school district addressed that concern head-on. 'We hope our community answers the challenge,' Dane Baxa, a Goodard school district spokesperson, said. 'The challenge is here. We've got 1,000 new students in the next 5 years, 2,000 in the next decade — it's a 30% increase. We just don't have any capacity left at our elementary schools.' They say it is their obligation to anyone living in Goddard. 'We know that the kids are coming. We don't have a whole lot to say about the developments, but we do have a whole lot to say about education and the students that enter our doors,' Ashley Miller, principal of Oak Street Elementary, said. Voters approved the last school bond eight years ago in 2017. Supporters argue that another bond so soon is necessary to spur continued growth. 'One of the reasons that my family came here and that I came here and that I stayed here is because Goddard has stayed ahead of the growth,' Miller said. Advanced ballots closed Monday, and in-person voting opens Tuesday at 7 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
