DEARBORN, Mich. — Dearborn Public Schools leaders are outlining their next steps after voters approved a $1.5 billion school bond — the largest in Michigan history.
The bond passed during an election with record turnout. At their first board meeting since the vote, school board members, teachers and administrators celebrated the result while acknowledging the hardest work is still ahead.
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"It just truly showed how much Dearborn cares about our young ones," said Superintendent Mike Esseily.
The proposal drew strong support at the ballot box, passing with 68% of the vote and getting engagement from a large percentage of voters.
"Eighty-three percent engagement of all voters on a bond proposal at the bottom of the ballot is a big deal," said Dearborn School Board Member Amer Zahr.
The bond will raise $1.5 billion over 30 years and is expected to impact every student in the district. Plans include adding six new neighborhood schools, rebuilding or renovating every school building, and installing air conditioning in every classroom across the district.
The Dearborn Federation of Teachers also celebrated the passage. Board members credited the union as instrumental in the effort — 150 teachers volunteered to work the polls on Election Day.
"We had a handful of teachers who worked all day and went and hit the polls from 4 to 8," said Kathi Martin, president of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers.
Martin said the result gives the district a reason to look ahead with optimism.
"Now we get to look forward with positivity, we get to look forward knowing we can improve our infrastructure. It's not going to happen today or tomorrow, but we know that's going to happen," Martin said.
The need for investment is significant. The district says the average school building is 71 years old, and a third of its buildings are more than 100 years old.
Esseily said the district is committed to transparency as it moves forward with implementation.
"Our community's response and the teamwork it took to get here all inspire all of us to roll up our sleeves and deliver on our promises. Moving forward we have begun developing the criteria for the oversight committee, we want to ensure that we have a diverse group of community representation including expertise in certain areas. Additionally, we have launched our website which we will continue to provide real time updates on dollars spent and work completed," Esseily said.
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