Voters to consider Constantine Public Schools bond proposal Tuesday
CONSTANTINE – Constantine Public Schools voters will be asked Tuesday to support a ballot request that, if approved, would allow the district to fix nagging roof problems at two of its buildings.
Superintendent Joe Holloway said the beauty of the bond proposal is that its passage would not result in a millage increase.
“We certainly want to make sure we get the word out and, beyond that, let people know this is a zero-percent increase they’re going to be voting on,” Holloway said. “It’s also fighting off some misconception about ‘How could this be true? How can we do that?’”
Holloway said the district has led a handful of meetings over the past few months to provide the district’s registered voters ample opportunities to learn more about what is at stake.
He said a number of thoughtful questions were asked and the meetings afforded him the opportunity to reiterate that the request will not result in a tax increase.
The ballot proposal would generate $3.9 million, allowing the district to replace roofs at Constantine High School and Constantine Middle School. Both facilities, he said, are prone to leaking, to the extent that attention is needed immediately.
Holloway said with voter approval Tuesday, the district will refinance bonds issued in the early 2000s. That process in itself would help the district secure the $3.9 million.
Holloway explained exactly how the district is in a position to generate such an impressive amount of money and still hold the line on its millage rate.
“There are five years left on the (2002) bond and our interest rate on current bonds – there are three of them – is in the area of 3.7 percent and 3.8 percent,” he said. “By refinancing them at 1.6 percent, that’s where the money is generated. Property values are way up and interest rates for bonds are way down.”
The bonds were refinanced once already, back in 2015.
“We’ve got a healthy fund equity (of about $5 million) and fund equity is to re-invest into our students’ education. We don’t want to use that money for infrastructure; that fund-equity money doesn’t belong back into buildings,” he said. “That is allocated to be put back into the education of our students.”
Holloway said a successful vote Tuesday will give district officials the opportunity to prove they will do what they promised they would do with the money. He alluded to a certain level of public mistrust dating to more than 20 years ago.
“I can’t change what happened in the past, but what I can do is listen, apologize and make sure we get it right this time,” he said. “We have to grow, we have to get past that, we can’t continue to make our kids suffer because of it and that’s the part that’s really frustrating for me.”
Holloway, who is completing his first year as Constantine’s superintendent, said he realizes he is being redundant but wished to reiterate how the district needs the help and support of its taxpayers.
“I continue to get back to the point that we need the community to come together on this and I’m really hopeful,” he said. “I really am, and just trying to do my part to get the information out there. It’s really important because, when you really break it down, you have to ask ‘How could this not pass?’ And if it doesn’t pass, I don’t want it to not pass because we didn’t get the information out there.”
Constantine has more than 1,350 students.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Voters to consider Constantine Public Schools bond proposal Tuesday
