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!
Behind the Walls of Northern Heights: A Students Perspective
We wanted to give our community a different perspective on the day-to-day experience at Northern Heights, so we went straight to the source — the students who experience it every day.
To protect their privacy, we aren’t sharing their grade level or any identifying information. We simply asked a student to tell us what they love about their school, what makes Northern Heights special, and what they believe could be better.
And there is a lot they love.
The school spirit. The football games. Homecoming. Spirit weeks. The memories made with friends. The teachers who bring positive energy into their classrooms and work hard to make learning enjoyable.
But they also shared something we can’t ignore: the building itself can make the school experience harder than it needs to be.
They described gyms that can become extremely hot with little airflow and extremely cold in the winter. They shared that there have been times when the small gym was too cold to use for lunch.
They talked about concerns with ventilation, locker rooms, showers, the science room, electrical issues, and other parts of the building that students and staff rely on every day.
When you hear each concern individually, it can be easy to think, we can fix that.
But when you hear them all together, you start to see the bigger picture.
How much should our students have to work around the limitations of their school building?
Our teachers and staff are giving our kids their very best every single day. They are creating memories, building relationships, and providing the education our students deserve.
They shouldn’t have to do that while fighting against the limitations of the building around them.
Our community has an opportunity to think beyond what we can patch, repair, or work around.
We can think about what we want to give the next generation of Northern Heights students.
A school where they can learn, compete, grow, make memories, and simply be kids — in a building designed with them in mind.
This is one student’s perspective.
But maybe it’s also a reminder of why this conversation matters to all of us.
Because these aren’t just school buildings.
They’re where our kids spend their days, make their memories, and grow up. And our community gets to decide what we want that experience to look like for the generations who come next.
Thank you to everyone who joined us tonight!
We truly appreciate everyone who took the time to come out, ask questions, share ideas, and be part of the conversation about the future of USD 251. Every voice and every conversation matters, and we are grateful for the people in our community who are willing to stay informed and engaged.
We know everyone has busy schedules, and we appreciate you making time to be there tonight.
We’ll keep the conversation going!
Mark your calendars for our next meeting:
September 27th at 4:30 PM
We hope to see you there!
USD 251 Alumni Spotlight: Mike Fehr
We’re continuing our Alumni Spotlight series, and this week we’re featuring Mike Fehr!
Mike attended Reading K-8 and Northern Heights High School 9-12. Some of his favorite memories were looking forward to Play Day each year and getting to work at the Reading Post Office. But what he valued most were the friendships and mentors he gained from older students and community members.
After attending Butler Community College for their ag program, Mike came back home to continue working on the family farm with his dad and uncle. This is where he grew up, and it’s where he eventually wanted to raise his family.
Today, Mike is raising his girls here and says one of the things he values most about our community is the way people look out for one another. He loves raising his girls in a place where hard work, agriculture, family, and helping your neighbors still matter.
When asked why a strong school matters, Mike said:
“A strong school means a strong community.”
He also talked about the lasting impact his teachers and school leaders had on him. Mr. Butler and Mr. Crawford are two educators who still cross his mind today, and some of the things they taught him are things he still uses to this day.
“Kids aren’t just a number.”
For Mike, getting to watch his girls learn and grow in a smaller community like the one he grew up in is what it’s all about.
When asked about the future of USD 251, Mike talked about the need for more community and school pride. He believes investing in our students and our facilities is important to keeping our district strong for many, many years. He also believes bringing all of our students together in one location is an important first step.
As a dad, safety is another important piece for Mike. Having our students in an established community closer to police, fire and EMS is important to him — hopefully something we never need, but something that is important to have close by.
And really, his answer came back to the same thing over and over:
Our kids.
That’s why we wanted to share these stories. Our alumni have experienced our schools in different ways, but they all have a perspective on what makes USD 251 important to them and what they hope to see for the future.
Thank you, Mike, for sharing your story and for continuing to invest in the community you grew up in!
Strong schools. Strong community. Strong future.
USD 251 BY THE NUMBERS
Our kids want to be here.
One number that tells an important story about our schools is chronic absenteeism.
In USD 251, our chronic absenteeism rate decreased from 24% to 15.5%- a significant drop in the percentage of students who are chronically absent.
That means more of our students are showing up, learning with their classmates, participating in activities and being part of their school community.
And behind that number are real kids.
Kids who want to see their friends.
Kids who are excited about what they are learning.
Kids who want to play on the team, perform on stage and be part of their school.
Our kids want to be here.
That is something worth celebrating—and worth continuing to build on.
As we look toward the future of USD 251, our facilities are part of that conversation. We want our students to have schools that support the positive experiences, relationships and sense of belonging that make them want to be here.
Our kids are showing us they want to be here. Let’s make sure we give them a place they are proud to call their school.
Small district. Big results. Strong community
FUN FACT #23: Did you know USD 251 has one of the lowest total mill rates of any school district in Kansas?
FUN FACT #23: Did you know USD 251 has one of the lowest total mill rates of any school district in Kansas?
In 2025, USD 251 North Lyon County ranked 8th lowest out of 284 Kansas school districts in total mill rate.
That tells us something important about our community.
For years, our district has operated with a relatively low tax rate compared to school districts across Kansas. We have been good stewards of the resources our community has entrusted to us.
But we also have to ask ourselves:
What do we want to invest in for the future of our kids?
Communities across Kansas have made investments in their schools because they recognize that strong schools help build strong communities. Our students deserve safe, modern facilities where they can learn, grow and thrive — and our community deserves facilities we can be proud of.
We have an opportunity to make a meaningful investment in our students and our community while starting from a place where our mill rate is already among the lowest in the state.
Let’s invest in our kids. Let’s invest in our schools. Let’s invest in the future of North Lyon County.
Understanding the USD 251 bond — one fact at a time.
USD 251 Alumni Spotlight: Adriane Lang
Fun fact: Sometimes the school that shaped you as a student becomes the place where you choose to teach, raise your own children, and give back. 
Meet Adriane Lang, a proud USD 251 alum!
Adriane attended Reading Elementary and Jr. High from kindergarten through 8th grade and graduated from Northern Heights High School in 1998. Although she grew up in the Emporia school district, her mom taught in USD 251, and her parents recognized the value of a small-school experience.
One of Adriane’s favorite memories was getting to work at Reading State Bank as part of a junior high elective class- a unique opportunity that came from being part of a small school. She also loved the camaraderie and connections she built through athletics.
Years later, Adriane had the opportunity to return to North Lyon County as a teacher. She had been teaching in a larger district with many resources, but the chance to come back to a place where she could know every student, know their families, and truly know her students was one she couldn’t pass up.
And she wanted her own children to experience that same sense of belonging.
Today, Adriane sees firsthand that being small doesn’t mean thinking small. Our students have incredible opportunities, our teachers know their students well, and our kids grow up knowing the people around them.
For Adriane, USD 251 is more than a school district. It’s a place that helped shape who she is today—and now she gets to give back as a teacher while watching her own children experience the traditions she remembers and help create new ones.
That’s also why Adriane supports the USD 251 bond.
She believes bringing our students together in one location will create even more opportunities, that our kids deserve a school they can be proud of, and that improving our facilities is critical to the continued success of our district.
From student, to teacher, to parent—Adriane Lang is a wonderful example of what makes USD 251 special.
Small school. Big opportunities. A community that lasts a lifetime. 
TIMES HAVE CHANGED!
TIMES HAVE CHANGED!
USD 251 Facility Tour – Northern Heights High School
USD 251 is offering community members an opportunity to tour the Northern Heights High School facility tomorrow, Friday, September 4.
Tours will be available at:
• 6:00 p.m.
• 6:30 p.m.
• 7:00 p.m.
This is an opportunity provided by the district for patrons to walk through the facility, see the building firsthand, and learn more about the needs and considerations surrounding the proposed bond.
If you have questions or want to better understand the discussion, come see the facility for yourself.
We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to be informed and ask questions.
This Friday: Come & Tour the High School!
One thing we continue to hear is, “These facilities served past generations just fine, so they should be adequate for our current and future generations.”
We understand that perspective. Many of us have fond memories of going to school in these buildings.
But when was the last time you actually walked through a USD 251 facility?
This Friday, September 4, USD 251 is inviting our community inside Northern Heights High School for facility tours.
Tours will be offered at 5:00, 5:30 and 6:00 p.m.
Edit: Tour times have been pushed back due to the heat! Tours will be offered at 6:00, 6:30 and 7:00 p.m.
If you’ve ever wondered what the facilities look like today, come see them for yourself. Walk the halls. Look at the classrooms and common spaces. See the building through the eyes of the students and staff who use it every day.
You don’t have to take anyone’s word for it. Come see it firsthand.
This is a USD 251-hosted opportunity for our community, and we encourage anyone who has questions, curiosity, or simply wants to better understand our current facilities to take advantage of it.
The doors are open. Come take a look.