BY MELANIE YOUNG
Trenton Public Schools has been reaching out to residents to get the word out about the district’s bond proposal that will appear on the ballot on May 8.
It began last fall with community forums to get the community’s input on the proposed bond. The district had architects and engineers complete a facilities assessment and develop the list of projects included. Superintendent Rodney Wakeham said the district took its thoughts and ideas about the proposal and incorporated them into the final drafted plan that will appear on the ballot.
In early February, the Board of Education voted unanimously to place the $57.1 million bond issuance on the ballot. The vote follows a required review and approval of all proposed bond projects by the Michigan Department of Treasury.
The 3.99 mill bond proposal will cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $50,000 approximately $199 in additional taxes a year, as each mill is $1 per $1000 of taxable value. A home with a taxable value of $60,000 would pay approximately $239 more a year.
According to the school district’s website, the bond will help assure Trenton’s schools are safe, secure and up to date, provide current technology and the infrastructure to support it, remodel, renovate and upgrade the learning environment by replacing boilers, improving classrooms, upgrading mechanical and electrical systems, improving gyms, kitchens, athletic facilities and parking lots.
“This is important to Trenton Public Schools,” Wakeham said. “The district, over time, has been fiscally responsible to the community and stakeholders. We are looking to move the district forward into the future.”
Wakeham said that, since the forums, many have expressed concerns about building security, so there will be a comprehensive evaluation of the safety and security at all buildings as part of the bond.
School Board president Mike Hawkins said residents seem hopeful. “I think voters are excited to see some change moving forward,” he said. He spoke of how the previous bond issue dealt more with internal issues that were not visible to the eye. “This bond will give us the aesthetics; give us some curb appeal to compete with other local school districts. We need to have facilities neighboring districts have and this bond will allow us to compete with them.”
School district administrators have been meeting with school PTO groups and teachers to get the word out about the election. The district also funded and produced flyers and informational brochures that were sent out to residents in March.
The district is also taking a unique approach to market the issue to parents and others who will visit the district’s buildings. According to a district memo, on March 20, the schools began placing orange 4-inch squares on anything that is affected by the May 8 proposal.
“The idea is to help people visualize what will happen if voters approve the May 8 bond proposal,” Wakeham explained in the memo. “Too often residents of a community can’t ‘see’ how a bond proposal will affect students and the community. The orange squares will help them.”
The squares were to be in place for the March 22 parent teacher conferences at the middle and elementary schools. They were also placed at Trenton High School in advance of their conferences scheduled for April 26. Also, on March 20, easels were placed in all school lobbies, listing all of the bond proposal projects for that school.
This is the first time in 10 years that the district has sought bond to fund improvements.
Voters in 2008 were asked to approve a 30-year, $37 million bond. Upon its passage homeowners were levied a millage of 2.65 mills or $2.65 per $1,000 of taxable value. The funds from the previous bond were earmarked for upgrades to the technology infrastructure, installation of security monitoring systems, replacement of exterior doors, and windows, replacement of flooring, fire alarms, telephone systems, classroom furniture and lighting at all district schools.
The bond issue was approved by a vote of 2,811-1,487. All proposed projects were completed, except those proposed for the now-shuttered Taylor School. According to the district, the funds proposed for Taylor were absorbed and used for other projects.
One resident, Kristy Thomas, has children that attend school in a different district but she still supports the issue.
“I plan on voting yes for the bond. It’s for the kids and it’s what’s best for the community.”
Under Michigan law, bond funds cannot be used for teacher or administrator salaries, routine maintenance or other school district operating expenses. For more information about the bond proposal, visit www.trentonschools.com, or call the Trenton school district offices at (734) 676-8600.