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Letter to the Editor: vote no on school bond proposal

Dear Editor:

$81 million dollars. 

I urge you to vote NO on the $81,000,000 bond proposal so the district will come back with a single more precise proposal that would cover their immediate needs. 

The Chelsea School District is asking us to approve the carefully crafted bond proposal on top of the $23 million dollars we already owe.

Why do I say carefully crafted?

Because, the district proposes to borrow this money in three phases.  The purpose of this is to not raise the millage rate any higher than it is.

So the district says the tax rate is not increasing?

Technically true.  What is actually happening is the tax increase we voted on in the past is proposed to be maintained.  If this bond issue is rejected, your taxes will go down.  The school district doesn’t want you to have sticker shock by raising your taxes—but it doesn’t want you to get used to lower taxes, either.

What makes more sense?

A smaller bond to take care of immediate and specific needs and costs.  The district has miscalculated in the past by building Pierce Lake in the first place.  Don’t include this until the need is a reality – if ever.  The current proposal is too much of a Christmas wish list – too many moving parts and too imprecise.

Why is this on the ballot now?

Well, it’s the only thing on the ballot. Naturally, the turnout is going to be low and a minority of voters will (could) approve a substantial tax increase for us all. Also, highly motivated school district employees voting will tilt the direction to yes.

What should happen?

All school district money issues should be decided in November of even years.  During Presidential and Congressional elections, voter turnout is much higher so the vote would be a better indication of the will of district residents.

Bob Spink

Lima Township

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8 thoughts on “Letter to the Editor: vote no on school bond proposal”

  1. Yikes!! I must be getting old or soft in the head but I actually agree with Mr. Spink on an issue of public funds use!! This is a wish list mentality the school board is employing and we get to stare at the albatross that is Pierce Lake School ($40 million??) every time we travel Old US-12. Get your act together or all of us retirees who no longer have kids in the schools will vote this down -no special elections anymore-it just adds to the cost and the inequality of our voting laws.

  2. Thanks Bob for your input and explanation. We agree with you and hope this school bond proposal is rejected. So tired and dismayed to drive past the empty Pierce Lake school every day.

  3. CSD had to close ONE school in order to adjust for declining enrollment years ago. And if they closed either North or South the cost to bring them up to code would have been enormous. By closing Pierce it was the least likely to require massive funding to bring it to current codes. And part of what this bond does (over time) is put money back into the aging older schools. Chelsea School District also now for the first time will be able to participate in the Washtenaw County Consortium by offering a Tech Campus utilizing part of the WSEC campus. As a parent of 3 Chelsea kids I will vote Yes.

  4. I’ve been wondering if taxes would go down if this doesn’t pass. And looked up the Pierce School situation – very informing. Thank you.

  5. Be informed. Your tax dollars are not going to waste!
    Please copy and paste this web address into your browser! Know what your tax dollars are going toward.

    https://www.smore.com/app/reporting/out/d0jrc?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FeJIhempbFJ0&t=https://youtu.be/eJIhempbFJ0&w=w-3041095420&i=&l=l-5613780788

    It is true that your taxes will not go up or down, but they will stay the same. Schools are much different than when grandparents and parents went to school. We need to remember that, and support our teachers and students.

    I urge you to vote YES on this bond proposal!!!

    Do you want our kids to continue to have good schools to learn in? Then we need to continue to invest in them. I DO NOT want our schools to have broken sidewalks, or building repairs that will not take place, ESPECIALLY IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. We have nice schools that need building repairs, if we continue to take care of our building less repairs will be needed in the future.

    -Average age of our schools is 49 years old. State of Michigan states that the average age of a school building should not be more than 40 years old.
    -Kids need updated and secured school entrances
    -Many, many building repairs are needed ($$$)
    – Updated technologies
    -Stem classrooms

    For those of you who do not have children in schools, remember… communities that have nice schools also have a higher property value.

    Sincerely,
    Shelly Ford
    Chelsea Music Booster President

  6. Apparently everyone has forgotten the situation when Pierce Lake was built. We had trailer classrooms at every school and buildings were severely overcrowded. SEMCOG and other data showed continued growth for our school district, so the community wisely approved building a new school. Then the recession hit…and the drug company in Ann Arbor closed moving over 2000 employees and their families…and manufacturing decreased. So suddenly the school population was decreasing. This had nothing to do with poor planning but things outside the control of any one group of people. Since that time, the various school boards have done their best to decrease the cost of Pierce and bring in funds by renting it out. Having an empty building should not be a factor in needs for the current buildings and operations.

  7. And a comment about the retiree comment. You and your property benefit when your school district is a desirable one. This especially is evident by the area sales over the past few years.

    Their goal is to reopen Pierce Lake as soon as it’s feasible. Like Kathy stated there was a time that our enrollment had students in temporary classrooms. Data pointed to a steady trend. And then 2007/2008 happened and it’s taken it’s toll on enrollment. Now there is a huge uptick in Chelsea community real estate/families moving here etc.

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