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USD 231 bond campaign set for April 1; DLR outlines $100 million scope with no mill-levy increase
Summary
DLR Group and district staff updated the board on the bond process, saying the finalized bond scope totals $100 million with no mill-levy increase, project highlights across the district and a ballot date of April 1, 2025, pending State Board approval.
DLR Group presented an update to the Gardner-Edgerton USD 231 Board of Education on the district's proposed facilities bond, outlining a final scope of approximately $100 million that the presenters said would not require a mill-levy increase.
Ian Kilpatrick, who leads DLR's practice supporting the district, told the board the consultant team had submitted the application to the Kansas State Department of Education for review and had published the required notices for a special bond election. He said an important next step is the State Board of Education meeting on Jan. 15, when the district expects approval to exceed its debt limit to place the question on the ballot.
Kilpatrick summarized the bond's major components: a new elementary school south of Pioneer Ridge; a new service center to support district facilities; special-education improvements and playground accessibility upgrades; renovations at the high school including kitchen and commons work; converting Sunflower into an early-childhood facility; safety and security upgrades across buildings; and expansion of the Trails Building for additional programming. He described a two-track communications plan: district factual materials and a separate vote-yes advocacy effort whose messaging the district said would remain aligned on scope and facts.
Key dates Kilpatrick listed: January 15 — State Board of Education review to exceed debt limit; March 11 — voter registration deadline reminder; April 1 — special bond election. He said the Gardner Chamber of Commerce had voted to endorse the bond and the district would begin broader public communications and factual mailings to residents.
Board members thanked the DLR team and district staff. The presentation was informational; no board action occurred during the report.
