Bulldozers are finally rolling across Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools as the district’s long promised $180 million bond package moves from blueprints to active construction sites. This summer, crews started work on an addition at Sumner Academy, and district officials say ground will break in July and August on three new schools funded by the bond voters approved. Leaders expect the new buildings to be ready for students by the start of the 2028-29 school year.
According to Flatland KC, the district began work on the Sumner addition in spring and has scheduled the new Central Middle School to begin construction in mid-July, with other projects starting in August. Miguel Martin, the district’s executive director of operations, who is set to become chief operating officer on July 1, told Flatland the goal is to have all new buildings open for the 2028-29 school year. Martin called the work “an exciting experience.”
How the bond pays for new schools
Per Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, the $180 million breaks down roughly as about $66 million for each of the two new middle schools, $35 million for the consolidated Woodland Hills elementary and roughly $10 million for the Sumner addition. The district’s project pages say both middle schools will be about 125,000 square feet with capacity for 900–950 students, while the elementary is planned at about 72,000 square feet for roughly 500–550 students.
Where crews are working and when
The district has identified the new Central Middle School site as the old Bethany Hospital parcel at 1129 Riverview Ave., with construction slated to begin the second week of July and finish by summer 2028. Argentine will be built at 2525 Lawrence Ave. directly behind the existing Silver City building, and Woodland Hills elementary construction is scheduled to start in August and be finished by late 2027, according to reporting. Silver City students are expected to move into the new elementary in January 2028 so the old building can be demolished and site work for Argentine completed. As reported by Flatland KC, those timelines are intended to keep students’ moves to a minimum.
According to WycoKCK.org, Wyandotte County maintains an official real estate parcel map and GIS services that can be used to verify property records for the Bethany Hospital parcel and other bond sites. The county's Parcel Information Viewer on ArcGIS Online, the official parcel search tool, can be used to confirm parcel boundaries and ownership for addresses such as 1129 Riverview Ave. and 2525 Lawrence Ave., the sites cited for the new schools.
Boundaries and the student shuffle
The board approved new school boundaries and feeder patterns in December 2025, but district leaders pushed implementation back to the 2028-29 school year to avoid multiple student moves during construction, Beacon: Kansas City reported. Officials say they solicited community feedback on designs and naming, including calling the elementary Woodland Hills and choosing the Bears as Central’s mascot, while they finalized construction plans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5‑year data are available at the census‑tract level and can be used to profile the demographics and household characteristics of neighborhoods that will feed the new schools.
Why the bond passed and what’s next
Voters approved the pared-down $180 million package on the November 2024 ballot after rejecting a larger $420 million proposal earlier in the year. Supporters argued the new plan targeted the district’s most urgent needs, including flooding at Argentine and aging classrooms. Local coverage of the vote and the district’s plans is available from KCUR and the Kansas City Star. According to the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, Flood Insurance Rate Maps and floodplain data (searchable by address) are available to check flood risk in areas like the Argentine neighborhood, which the district cited as a concern.
District leaders say they will post regular updates, meeting notices and traffic advisories on the bond hub as site work ramps up and contractors move in. For timeline details and project pages, see Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.
