Upcoming vote to determine approval of $251 million district bond
An overview of Blue Valley’s 2023 Bond proposal and what can be expected should it be approved.
Following the approval of Blue Valley’s last bond in 2020, a new main gymnasium was constructed at Northwest, with the former space being converted to a secondary auxilary gym.
January 20, 2023
The Blue Valley School District is seeking approval for a $251.25 million bond fund to improve facilities, technology and safety measures. Mail-in ballots have been sent to all registered voters within the Blue Valley district and are due by noon on Jan. 31.
Bonds are funded by taxes and investors from the community. The District has emphasized there will be no tax increase from the 2023 Bond, and the interest rate for investors will be determined through a competitive bid process in the early summer. BVNW senior Abby Allen said she thinks investors will benefit from financing this bond.
“Our school district is going to ask for millions of dollars, if this bond is approved, and [investors] are going to buy the bonds, and they’ll be paid back over the course of 20 years and they’ll be paid back with interest,” Allen said. “This is really useful for companies to invest in the bond because Blue Valley is very trustworthy in payback, we’ve seen that over the course of other bonds.”
There are a series of district-wide upgrades to be made over the course of a three-year timeline, given the bond’s approval. One large-scale project will be the construction of a new middle school in the southwest region of the district, to accommodate the growing population of Aubry Bend Middle School. Another more notable upgrade is the district’s plan to remove the mobile classroom units, commonly found at the elementary schools, and add those classes onto existing buildings.
In the most recent fund, the 2020 Bond of nearly $187 million, Northwest received a new gymnasium. Through the 2023 Bond, Northwest will undergo expansions of athletic spaces, such as the weights room, as well as Career and Technical Education spaces, as needed. Allen said she believes the bond will be helpful to the district as a whole, even if Northwest is not getting any major additions.
“If Northwest really did need something new, then I think it would’ve been written into the plan. I feel like no matter what school you go to, you should support your school district,” Allen said. “So just because Northwest is not getting like specifically anything huge, I feel like we should still support [the bond].”
Blue Valley voters have not rejected a bond in the past 41 years. However, if the bond is not accepted by voters, the Blue Valley Board of Education and administration will assess the proposal to better understand the projects that may need to be deferred. Allen said a revised bond would likely be developed and proposed upon the completion of this review.
“If [the bond] doesn’t get passed, then they’re gonna really look at why it didn’t get passed. And then they’ll rewrite the bond and then there will be another election, so it’s not like this is gonna go away,” Allen said. “If this doesn’t get passed, it will just keep coming back up. I can see why we need it now.”
Ballots are due by noon on Tuesday, Jan. 31, and may be returned by mail or to the Johnson County Election Office dropbox. For more information on specific projects, visit https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/bond.
The Johnson County Election office released results from the bond vote on Jan. 31st. Over 70 percent of Blue Valley voters approved the $251 million bond issue which will fund several projects throughout the school district.
