Latest news with #schoolbond
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Early results: Voters favoring PPS $1.8B bond
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The early results show voters are in favor of the $1.8 billion dollar bond for Portland Public Schools. . show 53.69% of those who voted in favor of the bond, with 46.31% opposed. More results will come throughout the night. Just minutes after the first vote tallies were released, PPS officials released statements showing their belief the bond will ultimately pass. 'We are incredibly grateful to the Portland community for once again standing with our students and saying yes to the future of public education. The passage of the 2025 school bond reflects a shared belief that every child deserves to learn in a school that is safe, modern, and designed for success,' PPS Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong said. 'This bond allows us to move forward with modernizing Jefferson, Cleveland, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett High Schools, while also delivering critical upgrades across campuses, from safety improvements to new roofs, climate systems, and classroom updates. These investments directly support student success by creating environments where students and educators can focus, connect, and thrive.' PPS Board Chair Eddie Wang added: 'We deeply appreciate Portland voters for believing in our students and placing their trust in this board. By passing this bond, our community has reinforced its commitment to public education and to creating safe, modern, and inspiring spaces where every student can thrive.' On Monday night, the PPS Board voted to approve the superintendent's $2 billion proposed budget. However, the district still faces a $40 million budget shortfall that has led . The teachers union says passing the $1.8 billion dollar bond would help reduce some of the proposed cuts. It would also go toward modernizing Cleveland, Jefferson and Ida B. Wells high schools. Despite the potential help from the bond, Portland Association of Teachers President Angela Bonilla with the teachers' union says the state needs to step up. 'We need the legislature to step up. And then what we need from them is to invest every single dollar they possibly can to direct student services,' Bonilla said. Stay with KOIN 6 News as we continue to follow this story. 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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.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.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas schools ask voters to approve multi-million bonds
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Voters in two Kansas school districts will decide on millions of dollars in improvements on Tuesday. In Augusta, residents will decide whether to approve $55 million for USD 402. The money would improve safety and security at all schools, expand fine arts facilities, build career and tech education classrooms, and modernize Augusta High School. The district says it will not increase the mill levy. Click here for more information on the bond. Further west, in Ness County, voters in USD 303 will decide on a $24 million bond. It comes with a 29 mill increase to the current property tax rate. If passed, the bond will fund construction of a new gymnasium, a connector between the district's elementary and high school buildings, a new weight room, and ADA and security upgrades to school entrances. For more information on the bond, click here. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. KSN News will have results of both races tonight after polls close. Missouri family, two Oklahoma teens among 8 killed in Franklin County crash Meanwhile, early in-person voting for Goddard's bond election begins Tuesday. The USD 265 district hopes voters approve $196 million for two new elementary schools and security upgrades. The Sedgwick County Election Office is open for those ballots from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Election Day is Tuesday, May 13. To learn more about the school bond, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV.
