School board in Wichita suburb considers asking voters for $213M bond issue

Voters in Maize Unified School District 266 will know soon whether they will be asked to approve a $213 million bond issue.

The Maize school board is scheduled to vote June 8 on whether to place on the ballot a bond issue that would pay for improved security features, enhanced learning spaces and the repurposing a school building to use it to extend the use of some areas beyond the school day.

School board members talked about a spring target date for the election when they held a special meeting May 26. They also heard presentations from four architectural firms that are finalists to lead design efforts for projects that would be included in the bond issue.

The district says the new bonds could be issued without an increase in the current mill levy. The school district is still paying on a 2019 bond issue, but paid off its 2015 bond issue last September, ahead of schedule, according to an email from Lori O’Toole Buselt, executive director of communications for Maize schools. The retirement of that debt is what is allowing the school district to consider a new bond issue without raising the mill levy.

Without another bond issue, the school district’s mill levy could go lower.

The spending plan presented by the facilities steering committee and approved by the school board May 11 focused on three areas, according to the school district’s website.

One of the largest projects, at $44.6 million, would be what the school district is calling a new, future-ready Vermillion Elementary School that would be located west of Maize Intermediate School. Renovations and additions at the two high schools will total a combined $85.4 million, according to figures supplied by the school district.

The current Vermillion Elementary building, which opened in the 1950s at 501 James in Maize, would be repurposed to serve the broader community. It would include a community center, latchkey care and a community storm shelter.

The relocation of this school would also reduce traffic congestion near Academy Avenue and 45th Street in Maize, according to the school district.

Another priority for the bond issue is improved school entrances that would provide better security, visibility and controlled access, as well as improved traffic flow and expanded parking.

The school district also wants to provide more enhanced learning spaces that would strengthen student support and special education environments, expand career and technical education opportunities, and add space to areas designed to encourage student involvement and engagement.

The school district’s website lists these improvements that would be funded by the bond issue if it is approved by voters:

• Increased security and expanded learning space at these schools: Maize Central Elementary, Maize Elementary, Pray-Woodman Elementary, Maize High and Maize South High.
• Improved traffic flow for the south campus, Maize High School campus and Academy Avenue area.
• Expansion of career and technical education spaces at Maize Career Academy.
• The Maize Early Childhood Center would get an eight-classroom addition that would feature expanded special education spaces.
• High schools would receive additional learning spaces and special education classrooms.
• Both high schools also would receive baseball and softball facility upgrades, and Maize South Middle School would get a new track.

If plans for the bond issue are approved by the school board, the proposal would still require approval from the Kansas State Board of Education before the bonds could be put before voters.

If the board proceeds with a bond issue it would also decide on June 8 which architectural firm would lead the design efforts. The finalists are Wichita-based Schaefer Architecture, The Stacy Group, with two locations in Oklahoma; SPT Architecture of Wichita, which would partner with DLRGroup out of Kansas City; and Topeka-based HTK Architects.

This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 4:23 AM.