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June 26
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JE Dunn served as the Construction Manager for the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools 2016 bond program, a $235M investment that significantly enhanced nearly every school building in the district.
The program encompassed 51 projects, including safety and security upgrades, the replacement of eight schools, the re-purposing of one building, and various renovations and additions throughout the district. These improvements incorporated career and academy spaces at middle and high schools while addressing critical maintenance needs.
Originally scheduled for four years, JE Dunn’s planning, scheduling, and management efforts enabled the early completion of several projects, one year ahead of schedule.
JE Dunn’s “Building the Future” program reflects our commitment to nurturing the next generation of builders and leaders. Through this initiative, we’ve engaged KCKPS students in a variety of impactful events. Leading this initiative is Chrissy Chandler, our Community Impact Education Manager. Chrissy’s passion for education and our Kansas City community has driven the success of our Building the Future program in Kansas City, Kansas.
Past Building Future Engagements
Our past engagements have included events such as “Introduce a Student to Construction Day,” where we visited various KCK middle schools, including Argentine Middle School, to introduce students to the construction industry. Career Days have been held at multiple schools, including TA Edison, Noble Prentis Elementary, Welborn Elementary, Claude Huyck Elementary, Wyandotte High School, New Chelsea Elementary, Prep KC at NW Middle School, and Welborn Elementary again in 2022. Career Fairs have been organized at Washington High School, TA Edison, New Chelsea Elementary, Delaware Ridge Elementary, Carl Bruce Middle, and Welborn Elementary. Additionally, we have facilitated Teacher Externships at Wyandotte High School and JC Harmon High School, and Career Showcases at Stony Point South, Arrowhead Middle School, and virtually.
Internships have been offered to students from Sumner Academy High School and Wyandotte High School, providing them with hands-on experience in the construction field. Other engagements include presentations, student learning days, industry days, trade expos, mentorship programs, and OSHA training sessions.
Ongoing Building Future Engagements
Ongoing engagements include a client-connected project where Tech Impact Instructor and Computer Science class are working with JE Dunn’s Digital Marketing Team on the Building the Future website redesign. We also offer monthly job shadow and career exploration opportunities for students, mentoring programs, and a career exploration internship where students join us for a one-week paid internship over the summer.
Kisha Bausby, JE Dunn’s DEI Manager, reflects on her passionate involvement in integrating DEI efforts into the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools 2016 Bond Issue, highlighting the importance of DEI in construction and educational support within diverse communities.
The 2016 Bond Issue for KCKPS was a pivotal moment to align construction projects with the values of a diverse, urban community. Despite Kansas law prohibiting specific MWBE goals, the community’s demand for a DEI-focused approach was clear.
Overcoming Challenges with Innovative Solutions
JE Dunn adopted a groundbreaking approach of 100% inclusion as our project goal, crafting a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure genuine and impactful DEI efforts.
Implementing DEI Strategies
Results and Impact
The DEI strategies set a new standard for integrating DEI principles in construction projects, with monthly updates to the KCKPS school board demonstrating our commitment and transparency.
Reflections and Future Directions
This journey reinforced Kisha’s belief in the power of intentional DEI efforts to exceed expectations, building trust and opportunities for all. The success of the KCKPS Bond Issue project laid a strong foundation for future projects, guiding our approach to DEI in all aspects of our work.
In conclusion, the KCKPS 2016 Bond Issue was a milestone in integrating DEI into every facet of our work, creating lasting impacts beyond the project itself.
