The $75 million school bond is vitally important for the school district, said Clarkston School Board President Steve Hyer.
“We absolutely need to address our safety and security needs, technology infrastructure, and building/site/mechanical improvements,” Hyer said. “We understand we are operating our community schools and it is our duty as a board of education to make our schools the best they can possibly be – we cannot do this in a vacuum and that is why we have engaged the community so extensively in this process.”
However, Trustee Craig Hamilton said he was disappointed in the board.
“They took the easy way out by asking for more money instead of making the hard decisions we were elected to do,” Hamilton said.
The board did not set aside money from the general fund for the last two years to help pay for known future expenses and has increased ongoing expenses by about $4.5 million annually during that period, he said.
“What was initially presented by the architects and proposed by administration to the board was never changed from the initial draft of the ‘critical needs’ until it was rubber stamped to be placed on the August ballot – except the change from calling the lacrosse stadium to calling it an auxiliary field with artificial turf,” he said.
Board Secretary Susan Boatman said the board voted to put the bond on the August ballot so “voters can decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs of this request.”
As voters head to the polls, Boatman said factors to consider include:
• Homeowners will continue paying 7 mills on their property value each summer through 2045 rather than 2029;
• The school district will not be able to borrow any additional money from the state until 2046;
• Schools were updated in 1999 and 2005 with bond money. A requirement of the new bond is that the full amount must be spent within five years. If additional critical needs arise during the next 25 years, seeking other sources of funding would be necessary;
• Remodeling the front entrances of schools would cost around $20 million;
• About $5 million is included for staff and student devices with a five-year life expectancy; and
• Another stadium will be built for $1.5 million, along with two artificial turf fields needing replacement about every 10 years, costing $550,000 per field.
“While I believe there are some worthwhile expenditures in this bond proposal,” she added, “it behooves everyone to decide if this is the right proposal for our community.”
Hyer said the district reached out to get community, staff, and resident input through surveys, public hearings, and forums, as well as informed the public through direct mailing and social media.
The boaard adopted a goal at the beginning of the school year to address both the facility and technology infrastructure needs of the district. Through the process of identifying the critical needs and looking at funding options, Hyer noted that is when they began to focus on a “no tax rate increase bond proposal,” he said.
“We surveyed the community on this option and another option we looked at that would raise the tax rate to address the needs,” he said. “We felt as a board, that the no tax rate increase proposal would fit best with our community and was the best way we could address our critical needs now.”
The school board’s duty is to make schools as safe and welcoming as possible, make sure teachers and students have the resources needed, and make sure buildings are safe and efficient, he said.
“This bond proposal will allow us to do that,” Hyer said.
Board Vice President Elizabeth Egan is asking voters to consider the bond proposal because it’s a no mil increase and will fund needed improvements,
“The board has been working with our administrative team in developing this proposal. Our conservative approach to defining the critical needs list aligns with our Strategic Plan and includes feedback from our community, staff, students and consultants,” Egan said. “There is no cost to the school district to add this initiative to the existing August ballot.”
Board Treasurer Kelli Horst says the bond addresses the “vital elements,” security and safety, site improvements, and educational technology.
“If our students and staff don’t feel safe and secure in our buildings, in the parking lot or on the playground, how can learning take place? This bond will ensure our buildings meet industry standards when it comes to secure entrances and additional safety measures,” Horst said. “It’s a reality I wish we didn’t have to consider, but one that cannot be ignored.”
The same goes for technology, she said.
“If we don’t have modern technology and facilities in place to facilitate teaching and learning and to run the district effectively and efficiently, how will our students be prepared to compete and succeed in a global economy and society? How will we be competitive with other districts when families are choosing a community in which to live and invest,” Horst asked. “These are the important questions that will shape our future success as a school district.”
While Trustee Greg Need says he is “in full support” of putting the issue on the ballot” and “believes everything in the proposal is needed and important,” he has “particular concern” about three of the items.
“When I was interviewed for this appointment I noted that our technology was obsolete and unacceptable for a quality school district. GMB (our consultants) concluded that our students are using outdated computers with an operating system no longer supported, and our infrastructure is similarly outdated and substandard. The bond will raise funds that will allow essential upgrades to our network and purchase new computers and tablets for our classrooms, teachers, and staff,” Need explained. “Next, I also believe it’s critical to implement the proposed safety and security upgrades to allow for secure building entries and improve traffic flow at all of our schools. Finally, while our district staff has done an outstanding job patching and repairing our facilities, we have reached a point where we must have many identified roofing, flooring, mechanical, plumbing and electrical upgrades.”

Another way to pay
According to the critical needs budget, approximately $26.3 million of the proposed $75 million bond is for technology upgrades and for “safe and secure” entrance ways district-wide.
In June, the Michigan House of Representatives passed House Bill 4388, which would allow school districts to use a sinking fund to “purchase real estate for sites for, and the construction or repair of school buildings, for school security improvements, or the acquisition or upgrading of technology.”
However, the bill still needs state Senate approval and signature by the governor.
Clarkston resident and state Rep. Jim Tedder was a co-sponsor on the bill.
“Because of the narrow scope of how sinking funds can be used, school districts have pushed for more than 20 years to expand the use of these funds,” Tedder said in a press release. “This legislation allows sinking funds to be used for school security and technology improvements.”
The bill also reduces the amount of mills districts can request to three- to-five and shortens the time period for which they may be levied to 10 years.
“The reduction in mills will help save taxpayer money and decrease taxes on citizens,” Tedder added. “Otherwise schools would have to use bonded debt to cover these costs, which is more expensive.”
Hyer said, “the sinking fund legislation has come up many times in the last several decades, but has never reached the finish line and been enacted into law.”
However, he noted the school board supports the legislation.
For more information on the bond proposal, visit www.clarkston.k12.mi.us.