MT. CLEMENS, Mich. – Voters in Mt. Clemens will decide Tuesday on a $91.8 million bond proposal that the district says would help improve the district’s aging facilities.
The proposal marks the district’s first bond attempt since 2001. Officials cite urgent infrastructure needs at the century-old high school building, where parts of the ceiling have even begun deteriorating from water damage.
“Sometimes we can’t get people into the district to see the great things that are happening because of what the exterior looks like,” said Superintendent Julian Roper. “I don’t know of one thriving community without a thriving school district, and we are trying to do more than just survive. We want to thrive.”
A cornerstone of the proposal involves separating the middle and high school students who currently share the same building. The plan calls for constructing a dedicated middle school facility on the southern part of the existing campus, complete with its own entrance and learning spaces.
The bond would also help fund security enhancements, technology upgrades, career-technical education classroom modernization, renovation of the campus planetarium, and construction of a new high school gymnasium.
However, district voters are pushing back against the proposal. Critics say the price tag is too high, given the district’s size, and others feel overtaxed.
“The sticker shock is what’s getting people. I think the first reason for that is just because they haven’t been asked for anything in 25 years, and then when you do ask for something, it’s 92 million dollars,” Roper said. “Our students deserve it. They deserve the best, despite who they are, what they look like, where they come from. They deserve to be in an environment that says I care.”
In an unusual move, the bond proposal also comes paired with a millage reduction that would lower the district’s tax rate from 11.8 mills to 10.8 mills. One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
“Very rarely do we see a school district not asking for a zero mill or an increase. This would present a one mill decrease,” Roper said.
The proposal is on Tuesday’s ballot in Mt. Clemens. Several other districts around Metro Detroit are also seeking bond proposals.
To learn more about the Mt. Clemens bond proposal and future plans, visit here.