Upcoming School Millage Election
Moderator: Gillespie
Upcoming School Millage Election
This writer, amongst many, have been debating the pros and cons of spending 4 million dollars to upgrade the Beaver Island school buildings. Some say it is necessary and others want to know much more about the what and why. I think we should use reason and debate it here..... By estimates that have been suggested, the 4 million will become 8 million by the time the bond is paid off, is this true? A long list of what this project will cost could end up being much more. I would like to have the taxpayer (you, "John Q Citizen") ask the questions on this forum and have have the questions answered by those in the know so all can can decide the merits, pro and con, of obligating the taxpayers who would willingly support the millage if it were truly necessary, for, as I understand it, 25 years. Buildings, by and large don't just "fail", they can be neglected and ignored but as we all know, if you keep after it, they last forever!! Our home overlooking the harbor is over 100 years old (half of it), the other we added in the late 1980's! Buildings require maintenance and oversite. One of my sisters lives in a building that was a service station! Her husband worked hard to make a home of it. Let's not just condemn a building because we want another, lets be certain there is no other choice! The heating plant at the school needs to be upgraded, do we tear the building down for that reason or do we put a steam or boiler plant in and run hot water lines to heat exchangers around the perimeter of the building? That is how it is done in many public buildings. Michigan is in the toughest of times, should we be voting to tear down buildings that could be utilized for many many years! I believe we can do well with a good maintenance program and upgrades. I have long said our school needs a full time on site "engineer"! That has never been done. This will be handed from one generation of voters to a generation that were too young to vote, our school population is in decline and will likely be so for a fair number of years, PLEASE, let us have thoughtful debate. People on this Island have always been known for thinking things through!Thank you all!
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kitty mcnamara
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 8:15 am
Thank you Richie for placing these questions on the Forum â?? certainly the school board wants to provide answers to the voters. The school board is not trying to push this important community project down anyoneâ??s throat â?? each registered voter must decide for themselves whether the investment is necessary. It is both and emotional and a financial decision for voters.
I will do my best to address the questions and concerns you pose here. First of all, the board of education has been debating for years the pros and cons of the best options for upgrading the Beaver Island Community School building. Their deliberation became more focused during the last year as the need to determine whether or not to request a renewal of the sinking fund for major maintenance was the best way to meet the schoolâ??s facility needs. Again, after much discussion and deliberation, the school board decided that it would be in the long-term best interest of the district to pursue a bond proposal through which many facility problems could be solved at once. Their decision was further based on the fact that the sinking fund millage and the 1993 bond millage would both go off the tax rolls which would allow taxpayers to fund the needed improvements without raising taxes above the level that had been paid in prior years.
You are correct in reporting the amount of the bond â?? the ballot will request of voters to approve a $3.95 million bond to be paid back over 25 years. This information has been shared with voters and island residents in an informational flyer mailed to all post office box holders, and through the local media, and at meetings and an open house hosted by the district. And, of course you are right that a bond worth $3.95 million will cost nearly double that over the life of repayment, just as any home ownerâ??s mortgage does.
There are many issues that tipped the scales in favor of replacement rather than renovation of the existing space. Please note that the most usable block sections of the building will be retained and the oldest, least functional spaces are scheduled for removal. You mention putting in a steam boiler and running hot water lines around the buildingâ??s perimeter - many years ago the board looked into a similar idea and the cost was over $300,000.00 at the time (almost 4 years worth of sinking fund money) and in the end you would still be heating rooms that have inadequate electrical and window and roofing. I just became apparent that a sinking fund, unless it was a much higher levy each year, was not up to the task of doing much more than holding the building together.
Michigan is in the toughest of times economicallyâ?¦ part of the reason is that state-wide we are in the process of retooling from a primarily manufacturing infrastructure to a future economy that is information and technology based. Education is very much a part of that economic future for Michigan and education is very much a part of Beaver Islandâ??s economic future. Having a strong K-12 program and facility sets our community up for the future, it may draw younger families, it provides a presence that sets the stage for information and technology based businesses to be drawn to the island. Specifically, in terms of the schoolâ??s general operational budget relative to other school districts, the board of education has worked diligently to maintain adequate funding and to make sure there would always be a K-12 school operating on the island and that diligence will continue.
As far as school enrollment is concerned, when the last 50 years of enrollment data shows a definite trend upwards. Over the years there have been many ups and downs and the enrollment is in a slight decline right now, but professional enrollment projections show a an upturn within the next five years.
I know this does not answer all questions people may have. Please feel free to contact me or any of the school board members for more information â?? also the next issue of the Northern Islander has more information about the August bond proposal.
I will do my best to address the questions and concerns you pose here. First of all, the board of education has been debating for years the pros and cons of the best options for upgrading the Beaver Island Community School building. Their deliberation became more focused during the last year as the need to determine whether or not to request a renewal of the sinking fund for major maintenance was the best way to meet the schoolâ??s facility needs. Again, after much discussion and deliberation, the school board decided that it would be in the long-term best interest of the district to pursue a bond proposal through which many facility problems could be solved at once. Their decision was further based on the fact that the sinking fund millage and the 1993 bond millage would both go off the tax rolls which would allow taxpayers to fund the needed improvements without raising taxes above the level that had been paid in prior years.
You are correct in reporting the amount of the bond â?? the ballot will request of voters to approve a $3.95 million bond to be paid back over 25 years. This information has been shared with voters and island residents in an informational flyer mailed to all post office box holders, and through the local media, and at meetings and an open house hosted by the district. And, of course you are right that a bond worth $3.95 million will cost nearly double that over the life of repayment, just as any home ownerâ??s mortgage does.
There are many issues that tipped the scales in favor of replacement rather than renovation of the existing space. Please note that the most usable block sections of the building will be retained and the oldest, least functional spaces are scheduled for removal. You mention putting in a steam boiler and running hot water lines around the buildingâ??s perimeter - many years ago the board looked into a similar idea and the cost was over $300,000.00 at the time (almost 4 years worth of sinking fund money) and in the end you would still be heating rooms that have inadequate electrical and window and roofing. I just became apparent that a sinking fund, unless it was a much higher levy each year, was not up to the task of doing much more than holding the building together.
Michigan is in the toughest of times economicallyâ?¦ part of the reason is that state-wide we are in the process of retooling from a primarily manufacturing infrastructure to a future economy that is information and technology based. Education is very much a part of that economic future for Michigan and education is very much a part of Beaver Islandâ??s economic future. Having a strong K-12 program and facility sets our community up for the future, it may draw younger families, it provides a presence that sets the stage for information and technology based businesses to be drawn to the island. Specifically, in terms of the schoolâ??s general operational budget relative to other school districts, the board of education has worked diligently to maintain adequate funding and to make sure there would always be a K-12 school operating on the island and that diligence will continue.
As far as school enrollment is concerned, when the last 50 years of enrollment data shows a definite trend upwards. Over the years there have been many ups and downs and the enrollment is in a slight decline right now, but professional enrollment projections show a an upturn within the next five years.
I know this does not answer all questions people may have. Please feel free to contact me or any of the school board members for more information â?? also the next issue of the Northern Islander has more information about the August bond proposal.
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Frank Solle
- Posts: 139
- Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2007 9:52 am
As a former teacher, a graduate of Beaver Island Community School, and as someone who is actively involved with our school today, I am not only a strong supporter of the proposed improvements, but a member of the citzens board working to make these improvements happen.
There are a couple points Rich brought up that I too would like to comment on. First, whenever you buy something on time â?? from a blender to a boat, from a car to a cottage, and yes, even to a school â?? you will spend much more than if you walked in and plunked down cash. Now if anyone reading this has an extra $3.95 million they would like to donate, Iâ??m pretty sure the school would accept it. But Iâ??m guessing weâ??ll have to move ahead with the time plan.
Secondly, there is no way to compare the traffic flow, the wear and tear, the overall use and usefulness of a single family dwelling to that of a school with dozens of students participating in dozens of activities day-after-day. Even with good upkeep schools wear out. In Northport, where my mother and her sisters went to school, where later I went to grade school and numerous other relatives later graduated, that building is no more. It wore out. It outdated. It was replaced lock, stock, and barrel.
Two other instances come to mind as well. When my wife and I lived in the Upper Peninsula, a new school was built to replace the original facility constructed in 1918. It was an old building and it showed it. Faulty heating had warped wood floors like storm waves on the big lake, while too often the frigid conditions forced students and staff to wear jackets throughout the long winter days. The restrooms were a wreck. The ceilings leaked. Windows, walls, and chalkboards were cracked, broken, damaged. They had patched and replaced all they could. It was time to do the right thing.
When we lived in Montana, the Flathead Tribe replaced an overused, hand-me-down, makeshift, too-often-renovated facility with a new school with better lights, heat, restrooms, gymnasium, and space to move, in addition to much improved access to technology.
In both of these cases the improvements to the infrastructure, as great as they were, were surpassed by improvements in the classroom. There is no question in my mind that a better facility facilitates better teaching and thus, better learning. Yes, you can learn anywhere, even by the light of a fireplace as legend says Abe Lincoln did. But that was then. This is now. This is the age of technology, information, and innovation.
I can also attest to the fact that the oldest part of the current school was old and in rough shape when I was a student there in the late 1960s. And now Iâ??m old and in rough shape yet students and teachers are still trying to make do in the same limited space. In this modern age they need to do more than make do. They need to not just keep up. They need to move forward. They need to excel.
Renovating the oldest half the existing school will do this. It will improve the overall efficiency of operating the building like no other â??quick fixâ?? can. It will be an enticement for younger families to stay or for others to move in. The business community always speaks of needing growth, but growth in business must be accompanied by a growth in workers and in consumers.
Renovation also will have a positive effect on what is, despite its current physical drawbacks, an already very positive learning environment. There is no question BICS has a talented staff, they have to be. A newer, more up-to-date facility will ensure that trend continues through future turnover of staff.
And like the ever-growing list of recent improvements â?? the Emerald Isle ferry, the District Library, the Health Center, the Gregg Fellowship Hall, CMUâ??s new Academic Center, and someday soon, the Community Center â?? this too, and being such an integral part of the community, perhaps even more so, will have a positive effect on the quality of life on Beaver Island.
Frank Solle
There are a couple points Rich brought up that I too would like to comment on. First, whenever you buy something on time â?? from a blender to a boat, from a car to a cottage, and yes, even to a school â?? you will spend much more than if you walked in and plunked down cash. Now if anyone reading this has an extra $3.95 million they would like to donate, Iâ??m pretty sure the school would accept it. But Iâ??m guessing weâ??ll have to move ahead with the time plan.
Secondly, there is no way to compare the traffic flow, the wear and tear, the overall use and usefulness of a single family dwelling to that of a school with dozens of students participating in dozens of activities day-after-day. Even with good upkeep schools wear out. In Northport, where my mother and her sisters went to school, where later I went to grade school and numerous other relatives later graduated, that building is no more. It wore out. It outdated. It was replaced lock, stock, and barrel.
Two other instances come to mind as well. When my wife and I lived in the Upper Peninsula, a new school was built to replace the original facility constructed in 1918. It was an old building and it showed it. Faulty heating had warped wood floors like storm waves on the big lake, while too often the frigid conditions forced students and staff to wear jackets throughout the long winter days. The restrooms were a wreck. The ceilings leaked. Windows, walls, and chalkboards were cracked, broken, damaged. They had patched and replaced all they could. It was time to do the right thing.
When we lived in Montana, the Flathead Tribe replaced an overused, hand-me-down, makeshift, too-often-renovated facility with a new school with better lights, heat, restrooms, gymnasium, and space to move, in addition to much improved access to technology.
In both of these cases the improvements to the infrastructure, as great as they were, were surpassed by improvements in the classroom. There is no question in my mind that a better facility facilitates better teaching and thus, better learning. Yes, you can learn anywhere, even by the light of a fireplace as legend says Abe Lincoln did. But that was then. This is now. This is the age of technology, information, and innovation.
I can also attest to the fact that the oldest part of the current school was old and in rough shape when I was a student there in the late 1960s. And now Iâ??m old and in rough shape yet students and teachers are still trying to make do in the same limited space. In this modern age they need to do more than make do. They need to not just keep up. They need to move forward. They need to excel.
Renovating the oldest half the existing school will do this. It will improve the overall efficiency of operating the building like no other â??quick fixâ?? can. It will be an enticement for younger families to stay or for others to move in. The business community always speaks of needing growth, but growth in business must be accompanied by a growth in workers and in consumers.
Renovation also will have a positive effect on what is, despite its current physical drawbacks, an already very positive learning environment. There is no question BICS has a talented staff, they have to be. A newer, more up-to-date facility will ensure that trend continues through future turnover of staff.
And like the ever-growing list of recent improvements â?? the Emerald Isle ferry, the District Library, the Health Center, the Gregg Fellowship Hall, CMUâ??s new Academic Center, and someday soon, the Community Center â?? this too, and being such an integral part of the community, perhaps even more so, will have a positive effect on the quality of life on Beaver Island.
Frank Solle