DEARBORN — The Dearborn School Board of Education is asking residents to approve a $76 million bond that will be placed on the November ballot, in an effort to accommodate several projects that are expected to impact all 31 of the district’s schools.

Titled the “S.M.A.R.T” school bond, the school board has drafted the proposal, after receiving feedback from all of the schools across the district, regarding what areas require improvements and upgrades, so as to cater to the district’s increasing student enrollment rate.

According to David Mustonen, Communications Director for the Dearborn Public Schools, the last time that a bond for the school district was approved was in 2002. He says plenty of new technologies and renovations need to be administered, in order for the district to offer students and parents high quality educational services.

“We are asking voters to allow us to go out and sell bonds, collect revenue and use it for improvements in the district. The $76 million will be used throughout the entire district, and every school is expected to benefit from this, whether through security, technology, or projects pertaining to the school,” Mustonen says.

It’s important for residents to know that if they approve the bond, it will not result in a tax increase. Currently, residents are paying 5.35 mills on the current millage rate, down from 5.85 mills in 2012. One factor that impacts the millage rate is the paying of existing debt, created by the sale of bonds several years ago, which is now being paid off. The new $76 million S.M.A.R.T bond will replace the debt that is being paid off, resulting in the millage rate remaining the same.

Board Trustee Aimee Schoelles says the bond will have a positive impact on east end students.

“I want the Arab community to know that this bond is important, especially for our kids. The improvements will also help maintain property values. With the economy taking a hit, school districts have had to cut down on their budgets. Everyone knows good schools have a huge impact on home values,” said  Schoelles.  

Through the bond, the district hopes to improve security first and foremost at all schools. They hope to institute buzzing doors with a security check point, as well as a swipe card for all faculty and staff members.

Many of the district’s older schools will require repairs on their windows and roofs, as well as some expansions in parking lots. New air conditioning systems, along with the remodeling of gymnasiums and auditoriums, are also on the agenda at some of the schools.  Geer Park, River Oaks, William Ford and Henry Ford are looking to use some of the bond money to build some additions onto their properties, because classrooms have become too congested.

“We’ve had enrollment increase by 6,800 students over the last 25 years, which is a good thing, because we’re getting more kids. But some of our schools need more room. This is not to put more kids in the schools, it’s just to accommodate the kids that are already there,” Mustonen adds.

Another conflict that the district has had to face in recent years is aging school buses. The district operates with over 100 school buses a year.  In the past, they had been able to replace 8-10 buses at a time, as they have aged. However, cuts that have been made in that department have forced the district to use school buses that appear to be wearing down. While the district has already spent some money on repairs, which has made for an additional expense, the new bond will allow them to purchase brand new buses.

The district is also looking to upgrade technology that hasn’t been updated since 2002, including desktop computers and other hardware systems. The district would like to make it a goal to have wireless capabilities at all of the schools, as they hope to introduce brand new laptops, notebooks, IPads and other technologies into classrooms and school libraries.

Mustonen says that the district had to really whittle down all of the demands made from various schools, to what they felt were necessities, in order to limit the affect it would have on tax payer dollars. The project then had to be approved by the State, before it received approval to appear on the November ballot.

The money will not be used for increasing salaries, or buying more text books, but will only be used on items and projects that the State has already reviewed and approved.

For more information on the proposal, residents can visit www.dearbornschools.org, or iblog.dearbornschools.org/2013.