By: Maria Allard | C&G Newspapers | Published November 6, 2024
CENTER LINE/WARREN/STERLING HEIGHTS — Building improvements, technology upgrades, roof replacements and more are on the horizon for Van Dyke Public Schools.
On Election Day Nov. 5, the district’s voting majority approved a $36.1 million bond proposal that will generate tax dollars to fund a number of updates across the district.
According to Macomb County elections officials, the Van Dyke bond issue passed with 4,213 “yes” votes and 2,253 voters who turned it down. The bond is for 25 years.
A bond proposal is developed by the school district and presented to the voters for approval. When a bond proposal passes, the bonds are sold in the capital markets at a date determined by the district, a financial adviser and an underwriter. Upon closing, funds generated from the bond sale are deposited in the district’s construction fund and are available to spend for completion of the projects contemplated in the bond proposal.
According to school officials, the Van Dyke bond proposal is a zero-mill increase ballot question. Officials said the bond would not increase the current school property tax because of the previous bond issue.
“We really appreciate the confidence from our voters. With this investment, we can keep delivering the quality education our community expects, and our students deserve. I feel fantastic of the bond passing. We are so grateful for the community’s support of the school district. We’ve got things that went several years past their useful life,” Superintendent Piper Bognar said.
“Our students and staff need a safe place to be every day. That’s first and foremost. This (bond) will help provide that. The educational environment will be kept up and be sustained without having to dip into our general fund,” Bognar said.
School officials worked with SiteLogIQ to create a facilities management plan, which led to the bond proposal. SiteLogIQ staff members rated the buildings in the district on a scale from 1 to 5. Bognar said that anything that was a 3, 4 or 5 needed to be attended to in the bond.
Now that the bond has passed, SiteLogIQ will manage the construction projects. School officials plan to begin construction work in the summer of 2025 through funding the district will receive from spring and summer 2025 taxes.
The district’s last bond issue passed in 2008 for $62.6 million, which provided funding for school building safety and security upgrades, technology enhancements and building updates throughout the district. With that bond, taxpayers paid 8 mills on it. Since the 2024 bond proposal passed, the tax rate will decrease a bit with district residents paying 7 mills. That is why school officials called the 2024 bond a zero-mill increase for the taxpayers.
District officials will continue to keep the community informed on the progress of current and future facility projects. School officials have outlined the bond projects on the district’s website at vdps.net. Some of the projects include new roofs for Lincoln Middle School and the Kennedy Early Childhood Center; sections of roofing replacements at Lincoln Elementary School and Lincoln High School; upgraded learning space furniture at all the school buildings; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning updates. In addition, the pool area at Lincoln High School will be renovated into a multipurpose space.
Warren Con operating millage
At the polls last Tuesday, Warren Consolidated Schools voters approved the district’s operating millage replacement, which will keep the rate steady for the next 10 years. According to the county, 25,084 people voted in favor of the ballot proposal while 22,900 voted “no” on it.
According to school officials, the operating millage replacement is not a tax increase for community homeowners on their principal residence. The operating millage allows the district to levy the statutory limit of 18 mills on non-homestead property, which is primarily industrial and commercial properties, residential rental properties and second homes.
The operating millage rate replacement contributes directly to the district’s operating budget and assists in maintaining educational programs for students. Now that it has been approved, the operating millage replacement would replace, restore and extend the authority of the school district, which expires with the 2027 tax levy, to levy up to 18 mills for general school district operating purposes on taxable property in the school district.
“I’m really happy that it passed. It’s another example of the community support we have here,” Superintendent John Bernia said. “The community values and supports the schools, and that feels pretty good.”
According to the ballot language provided by the county, the operating millage will provide estimated revenues to the district of $857,642 during the 2024 calendar year, to be used for general operating purposes. The tax will be collected in one lump sum.
The taxes are collected by local municipalities and then distributed to the school district. The money is then placed in the general fund, which is used for salaries, learning supplies, staffing, utilities and extracurricular activities.
The millage affects only the district’s general fund. It is not related to the $150 million capital improvement bond that passed in 2022.