JACKSON, MI – Voters will soon decide if they want to allow Jackson Public Schools to borrow tens of millions of dollars from the state to improve school infrastructure.
A $126 million bond proposal is on the ballot Nov. 4. Approving the bond, funded by the School Bond Qualification and Loan Program, will maintain property owners current school tax rate of 5.95 mills with no increase.
The purpose of the bond is to construct, improve and maintain the school district’s infrastructure while preserving the school’s general fund for daily operations.
School officials have been hosting educational seminars about the bond ahead of the vote.
If the bond is approved, the school district has a lengthy list of construction projects that will be paid for by the bond.
If voters reject the bond, the school district will have to make do with what it has and possibly make some cuts in order to cover fixing critical items and keep the school operating, Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Jeremy Patterson said.
“We have critical needs to fix things that have broken and have failed and to fix that the only pot of funds that we would have (if the bond is rejected) is the general fund,” Patterson said. “We don’t want to use general funds to fix boilers and fix leaky roofs and fix furniture in a classroom or technology. So you either go without and you go with things that are damaged or you tap into resources that we want to use to fully fund education.”
Among the projects that would proceed if the bond gets approved is a new state-of-the-art innovation center where students can focus on learning various in-demand trade skills.
The center would also house the district administration offices, Patterson said.
The proposed construction of the innovation center has drawn criticism from the Jackson County Historical Society as it would involve the demolition of Reynolds Hall.
Read more: Jackson schools intends to demolish 1930s building over historians’ objections
Reynolds Hall is a brick building constructed in the 1930s and located next to Jackson High School, 544 Wildwood Ave. It currently serves as the school district’s administration building.
Patterson said the building is a long way from what it once was, adding it doesn’t serve students, it is too costly to maintain and it does not function well as the district’s administrative office.
Reynolds Hall is officially designated as “historic” building in Jackson and is a contributing structure within the Under the Oaks Historic District, bound roughly by First and South West streets and Oakhill Avenue and West Morrell Street, according to the historical society.
The bond will also pay for upgrades to the pathways and science areas at Jackson High School, cafeteria renovations, upgrades to the high school’s stadium, electrical updates and HVAC upgrades for school buildings.
Patterson said only about 30-40% of Jackson Public Schools’ buildings have air conditioning.
“The auditorium at Jackson High has air conditioning. The third floor, absolutely not. The second floor, absolutely not,” Patterson said, adding that Parkside classrooms do not have exterior windows that can be rolled down to bring in fresh air.
“So they just get hot, and you can’t get that breeze coming through,” Patterson said
To find out more about the bond, click here.
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