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DE SOTO, Kan. — The De Soto School District is in the process of buying land in south Olathe as a placeholder for potential new schools. 

On Monday, the school board unanimously approved a $1.6 million contract with B&C Land and Cattle LLC to buy roughly 150 acres of land near 127th Street and Waverly Road. 

Steve Deghand, assistant superintendent of facilities and operations, said there’s no immediate plan to build a new school, but the lot is large enough to construct a new elementary school, middle school and high school on the property. 

Map of land purchase.

“We are experiencing inflation, interest rates are increasing. Under $11,000 an acre is really, really amazing. I do foresee the need for additional buildings down the road and I’m very supportive of this,” Board President Danielle Heikes said. 

The district intends to pay for the property with a portion of the $5 million earmarked for land acquisition costs leftover from the district’s 2018 bond initiative. 

The property will likely be leased and used as farmland until the district determines a need to build a new school. Pending final paperwork, the district intends to close on the 150 acre property in June.