Eudora Schools Bond
Thanks to generous support by the voters in the Eudora School District, our community's schools is undergoing exciting changes and enhancements in the coming months and years!
This section of the district's Web site was originally created to help educate voters by providing information and facts about the proposals and their effect on taxpayers. As projects have developed, this site features project updates, timelines for completion, building schematics and other details that are now in progress.
For more information about the projects, contact the school district office at 785-542-4910, or send an e-mail to bond2007@eudoraschools.org.
- Read news updates about the progress of different projects.
- Bond projects. Read about the projects the Eudora Board of Education will complete to address enrollment and program growth in the district.
- Costs and financing. Learn how the proposed projects will be paid for with a zero-increase in the mill rate.
- Timeline and priorities. Gain insight into the priorities of the construction projects and the reasoning behind those priorities.
- Planning and feedback. See what the district has done to gather feedback from the community in crafting the project's master plan.
The $45 million bond projects will enhance learning for students at all levels, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade:
- New elementary school (complete)
- Renovations at West Elementary (complete)
- Additions to Eudora Middle School (complete)
- Additions to Eudora High School
- New Technical Education Center facility
- Athletics complex
- Technology and security initiatives
For details on all of the bond projects, click here.
Costs and
financing
Due to the
timing of recent construction projects in the district, as well as
the increases in assessed valuation in the community, a $45 million
bond was designed to be paid for with no increase in the total mill
levy charged to taxpayers. Unfortunately, the completely
unprecedented economic conditions of 2008 and 2009 — in particular,
the decline in assessed valuation in Eudora, where a modest
increase had been predicted and cuts to state education funding —
changed the assumptions of this plan. As a result, the Eudora Board
of Education was forced to increase the district's overall mill
rate by 1.96 mills.
It is important to
note that the
state of Kansas pays for 38-39 percent of the overall
costs of the projects. In
other words, the state will contribute upwards of $17.1 million of
the principal, with $27.9 million paid by the voters.
Including interest over the life of the bonds, this could equal as
much as $31.7 million or more.
§ How does the
district's mill rate affect my property taxes?
§ Learn more about the
38% state aid program.
Timeline and
priorities
Projects
directly affecting students and teachers in preschool through sixth
grade were complete on time and opened in fall 2009. The high
school additions are scheduled to be ready for 2010. Construction is
ongoing for a number of projects — read the latest
updates on the current projects.
In determining
priorities in the bidding and budgeting of projects, the
Board of Education is committed to addressing classroom needs
first. Additions that deal directly with getting students and
teachers out of modular units and into classrooms will be the top
priority throughout the process.
The sports stadium
will be bid last among the projects. This allows the dollars
to be used in the most responsible manner, focusing first and
foremost on classrooms for students and teachers. If a budget
should come up short, this priority-setting process ensures that
the impact will be with projects that are farthest from the
classroom.
For specific details about all of the bond projects, as well as estimated completion dates, click here.
Planning
and feedback
The
district is entirely committed to designing a growth plan that
meets with the expectations and opinions of the community we serve.
In the fall of 2006 and early spring of 2007, the majority of this
feedback was gathered through meetings of the Community Advisory
Committee — a group of
approximately 45 individuals who represent a broad number of Eudora
organizations, interests, professions, demographic groups, and
areas of expertise.
In January 2007, a
statistical phone survey was conducted by DeSeighardt
Strategic Communications to further measure community opinions. A
summary of the findings is provided below, or a complete copy of
the survey results is available for viewing at the central district
office.
§
Summary of the Community Advisory Committee meeting
results
§ Summary of
community survey results
This page was last updated Sept. 18, 2009.
