Facts About the USD 251 Bond
Learn about the USD 251 Bond, one fact at a time! These facts are posted to our Facebook page first, so follow us there for the most up-to-date facts and information!
New to 251: A Parent’s Perspective
We’ve been sharing stories from people who have been impacted by USD 251, and today we wanted to share the perspective of a parent who brings a little bit of a different viewpoint.
This parent isn’t a USD 251 alum and isn’t 100% North Lyon County through and through. They’re a community member who has chosen to raise their kids here and has kids in our schools—and they believe our kids are worth investing in.
Our family has been part of USD 251 for six years. When we first moved here, I’ll be honest—there were things that frustrated me. Communication was difficult, and as a “newbie,” I sometimes felt like asking questions was unwelcome. Coming from a larger district, I wanted to see communication grow beyond Facebook and beyond simply being “from here.”
But even with those frustrations, there is something that has kept us here: our kids are known.
In our previous district, after five years and multiple children, I could call the school and hear, “And who is your child again?”
That doesn’t happen here.
Our three kids are each completely different, and their teachers know that. They know their strengths, their needs, their personalities, and how they learn. They notice them. They invest in them. They make them feel seen.
As a parent, that means everything to me.
I want my kids to have the opportunity to learn in a place where they are treated as individuals—not numbers or statistics—and where they have access to the resources and opportunities they need to find their own path to success.
I know we won’t all agree on every decision the district makes. I haven’t either. But that doesn’t change what I believe our kids deserve.
At the end of the day, my kids will always be the deciding factor in our education choices. What is right for them is right for me. And for our family, that means supporting a school district where our kids are known, where they are invested in, and where they have the opportunity to grow.
The grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.
We may not all have the same history with USD 251, and we may not all agree on everything. But I believe we can come together around the one thing that matters most: wanting what is best for our kids.
If you’re a parent, grandparent, community member, or someone who simply cares about the future of our kids, take the time to learn about the bond, ask questions, have conversations, and make your voice heard on November 3.
Our kids are worth investing in.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: CAMERON HEIMAN | CLASS OF 2020
Some people leave North Lyon County and never look back. Others leave, experience the world, and find their way home again.
For Cameron Heiman, home has always been USD 251.
Cameron grew up in the district, attending USD 251 from kindergarten through eighth grade. After spending part of high school at Emporia High School, he realized where he belonged and transferred back to Northern Heights, graduating as a Wildcat in 2020.
Today, he’s back in the district—not just as an alumnus, but as a teacher and coach.
“USD 251 didn’t just educate me, it helped build me,” Cameron shared. “Now, one of the greatest privileges of my life is getting to come back and be that person for somebody else.”
That full-circle feeling is something Cameron doesn’t take for granted. He gets to walk through the same schools where he grew up, coach students wearing the same Northern Heights name he once wore, and stand in classrooms with students who are trying to figure out their futures—just like he once did.
For Cameron, that is what makes a small school and a small community so special.
It’s the teachers who know you beyond your grades. The coaches who push you because they believe in you. The families and community members who show up. The Friday nights, packed gyms, friendships, traditions, and generations of Wildcats cheering from the stands.
And it’s the opportunity for one generation to pour into the next.
That’s also why Cameron believes investing in USD 251 matters.
“I support investing in USD 251 because somebody invested in us.”
He sees that investment not simply as an investment in buildings, but in kids—the kindergartener walking through the doors for the first time, the student dreaming about playing under the lights, the senior figuring out what comes next, and the students who haven’t even been born yet who may someday call North Lyon County home.
“Those kids deserve our best,” Cameron said.
His biggest hope?
That the next generation is even prouder to be Wildcats than we were.
We love hearing from alumni who have carried their Wildcat pride with them—and even more when they choose to bring that pride home and invest it back into the next generation.
Cameron, thank you for sharing your story and for continuing to pour into the students and community that helped raise you.
One generation believes in the next. That’s how a community continues. That’s how Wildcat pride gets passed down.
SPONSOR A YARD SIGN!
We’re getting ready to put USD 251 Together yard signs throughout our community, and we’d love your help making that happen!
You can sponsor a sign for a family, neighbor, friend, or community member who wants to show their support for the future of USD 251.
Every contribution helps us get more signs into our community and keep the conversation going about what’s possible for our students and our district.
Want to sponsor a sign? Send us a message or reach out to a USD 251 Together committee member.
Let’s fill our community with signs of support for the future of our kids and our district!
Hear from an NHHS Student:
You asked, and we went straight to the source — a current student at Northern Heights.
We asked what they love about Heights and what they wish our community understood about being a student there today.
Their favorite part? The teachers. Teachers know their students personally, understand how they learn, make time for their questions, and make them feel seen and known. And of course, school spirit— the football and basketball games, the fans, the cheerleaders, and the way everyone supports one another.
But being a student there every day also means experiencing the challenges of the current building firsthand.
A gym that gets extremely hot. A deteriorating track. Classrooms that can’t maintain comfortable temperatures. A small gym that doubles as the cafeteria. Birds getting inside. Electrical issues in the FACS kitchen. Limited space in the music room and library. Wi-Fi that makes online assignments difficult. Broken clocks. Old and worn curriculum materials.
And they had one message they really wanted our community to hear:
“Just because they went to Heights or go to Heights for an occasional football or basketball game doesn’t mean they know what it is like for students currently.”
This student isn’t asking for a different school. They want the same great teachers, relationships, education, and school spirit for the students who come after them — just in facilities that are more comfortable, efficient, and able to meet their needs.
Our students deserve that future.
On November 3rd Vote YES for the future of USD 251
FUEL THE WILDCATS’ FUTURE.
This campaign is run and funded by families right here in USD 251.
Want to help us cross the finish line? We’re accepting donations!
Reach out to any committee member or Nancy Wells, our treasurer, to contribute.
Every dollar helps. Every family matters.
Find us on Facebook: USD 251 Together
Send an Email: usd251together@gmail.com
Vote YES for the future of USD 251.
Financial responsibility isn’t just about the price tag.
We’ve heard the argument that this bond isn’t financially responsible. But when we talk about the cost, we also have to look at what our other option costs us.
Our current high school opened in 1957. The estimated cost to remodel the existing high school is more than $20 million. The proposed new educational building is $25.95 million.
That means the conversation isn’t simply “$25.95 million for a new school.”
It’s “Do we invest more than $20 million into a 69-year-old building, or do we invest about $5 million more in a new facility built to serve our students and community for decades?”
A remodel would still leave us with an aging building. A new facility gives us the opportunity to build around the needs of our students today and into the future.
Financial responsibility means asking not just, “What will this cost us?” but also, “What are we getting for that investment?”
The question isn’t whether we spend money. It’s how we choose to invest it.
Vote YES for the future of USD 251.
Investing in the Future
This is bigger than a building.
It’s about whether our kids have a school they can be proud of.
It’s about whether families see North Lyon County as a place they want to stay and raise their kids.
It’s about whether we continue to have a school district that belongs to our communities.
It’s about what USD 251 looks like 10, 20, and 30 years from now.
We can talk about enrollment.
We can talk about cost.
We can talk about taxes.
We can ask hard questions.
We should.
But we also have to talk about what we want for the future.
Our kids didn’t choose the age of our buildings. They didn’t choose our enrollment numbers. They didn’t choose the challenges our communities have faced.
They just deserve the opportunity to learn, grow, and dream in a place that tells them we believe in their future.
That’s why we’re having this conversation.
Take a look at the information. Ask the questions. Talk to your neighbors. And most importantly, be part of the decision about the future of USD 251.
When you head to the polls in November, we hope you’ll join us in voting YES for the future of USD 251.
North Lyon County’s future is worth investing in.
VOTE YES on the USD 251 bond measures!
Did you know many of our USD 251 alumni are now raising their own families, working right here in our neighborhoods, and pouring their hearts into shaping the future of North Lyon County?
Our schools have always been the absolute heartbeat of this community. But the reality is that the facilities our kids walk into every single day are simply letting them down. They deserve spaces that are safe, modern, and equipped for the way children learn today—not patched-up buildings from decades past that have long outlived their time.
Whether your family has deep roots here that go back generations or you’ve chosen to build your life here more recently, our children’s futures belong to all of us. We can’t keep putting a temporary bandage on aging infrastructure. We need safe, updated, brand-new facilities so our kids and our teachers have the environment they truly deserve.
This is about backing our kids, honoring our families, and investing in the community that holds us all together.
VOTE YES on the USD 251 bond measures!
Let’s give our kids the future they deserve. First, make sure you’re ready to make your voice heard—you can verify your registration status or check your voter information through the https://www.ksvotes.org/.
Then, let’s show up big for North Lyon County!