Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kansas District Seeks to Build Second Middle School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 02/07/22

Auburn-Washburn Public Schools USD 437 near Topeka, Kan., is preparing for a bond election that could provide the district with funds to build a second middle school. The existing Washburn Rural Middle School is currently the largest middle school in the state that serves students in grades 7–8.

The district has owned a tract of undeveloped land near Mission Township Fire Station since 2007 in preparation for the need to expand, according to local news.

“This is a really exciting opportunity for Auburn-Washburn, but it’s also a really necessary opportunity,” said USD 437 School Board Member Tara Dimick. “It’s one we need to have.”

District Superintendent Dr. Scott McWilliams told local news that the district wants to integrate sixth-grade students into middle school by building another facility. “Our elementary schools are Pre-K through sixth. However, by transitioning those sixth-graders up, we would have a better capacity to meet the needs of our Pre-K through five elementary schools,” he said. “The land is purchased; it is sitting ready to go for new construction if our bond election passes.”

The bond election was first announced in November 2021 as a means of implementing a proposed strategic five-year plan. The proposition is now up for a vote after more than 30 strategic planning and almost 500 stakeholder group meetings during the last two years.

This year’s bond election features two ballot proposals. The first proposal requests up to $145 million for the new middle school and associated renovations across the district, including adding early childhood classrooms and re-purposing elementary spaces, safety upgrades and maintenance, and adding a new innovative center to the high school.

The second proposal requests up to $15 million to add a pool to the high school for use by the school’s swim team, physical education classes, special needs classes and the community at large.

Ballots will be mailed to registered voters on March 23 and are due into the county’s election office on April 12.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Montclair State University Debuts New VR Facility

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently announced the completion of a new virtual reality learning facility developed in partnership with Dreamscape Learn, according to a news release. The 2,450-square-foot lab space is inside the College of Communication and Media building and will serve students pursuing careers in digital media, virtual reality, and content creation.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.