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Olathe trustees celebrate bond win, approve auditorium AV upgrades for four middle schools
Summary
Trustees reflected on passage of Bond 2026 and approved action items authorizing audiovisual and commons upgrades to four middle schools (California Trail, Chism Trail, Mission Trail, Prairie Trail) using available bond funds; board emphasized community support and regional interest in the district's innovation campus.
The Olathe Board of Education used its March meeting to acknowledge community passage of Bond 2026, celebrate the district’s new Innovation Campus and ribbon cutting, and approve several contract and bid items to move facility improvements forward.
Facilities: The board approved action items 7.01–7.06 (roll‑call vote 7–0) that include phase‑two auditorium audio/visual upgrades for California Trail, Chism Trail, Mission Trail and Prairie Trail middle schools. Facilities director Mr. Umprey said available bond funds allowed the district to expand the original scope beyond auditorium AV work to include commons area visual upgrades, main gym AV upgrades and interior seating and facility improvements. "We were actually able to address more than just the AV in the auditoriums," he said, listing commons and main gym improvements.
Compatibility and usage: Trustees asked whether existing headset and lavalier mics would be compatible with the new systems; Umprey said backward compatibility was the goal and that lavalier mics and in‑ceiling speaker arrays would be used to provide more consistent coverage for concerts, musicals and other events.
Community context: Board members repeatedly credited the bond vote to wide community support and highlighted the Innovation Campus as a regional draw; trustees thanked the bond team and district communications staff for outreach. Several trustees urged continued engagement with neighboring districts and institutions of higher education that participated in the Innovation Campus ribbon cutting.
Board action and next steps: The board approved the capital actions and later approved a slate of policy updates; district staff will proceed with contracting and scheduling work with the goal of improving performance spaces across middle and high school feeder systems.
