OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Early next year people who live within the Blue Valley School District boundary will get a chance to vote on a new bond plan for the district.

Monday, the Blue Valley school board approved a resolution calling for a mail-in election in January to decide if the district should issue general obligation bonds. The school district is seeking approval for a $251,250,000 bond.

Deputy Superintendent Kyle Hayden said if voters approve the bond initiative, roughly $70 million will go toward building a new middle school in the southwest portion of the district. 

Hayden said once completed, the new school would help balance the growing student population at Aubry Bend Middle School. 

“It’s 850-ish students in that middle school which is significantly more than any other middle school, to be honest. [It’s] like 250 students more than any other middle school,” Hayden said. 

The bonds would also support safety and maintenance upgrades at other school buildings. 

In 2020 voters approved a $186 million bond. Hayden said the district will finish those bonds by August 2023. 

Hayden said if the new bond initiative is approved in January, the district would likely begin working on projects in the summer of 2024, with an estimated completion date in the summer of 2026. 

The district does not anticipate an increase to the current property tax rate if the new bonds are approved by voters. If the new bonds are not approved, the district will not receive additional funds and will continue to pay off existing bonds.

A full list of projects that would be funded through the bond is expected to be released by the district in the next few weeks. 

Voters will be able to return their ballots by mail or at the dropbox at the Johnson County Election Office, but all ballots must be returned by noon on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

The district intends to host a series of open house meetings in the coming weeks to help residents better understand the bond initiative.