EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — Eastpointe Community Schools is asking voters to decide on a $99 million bond proposal this November that district leaders say would address aging buildings and reshape how some students attend school.
If approved, the bond would fund building and classroom upgrades across the district and support a plan to bring middle and high school students together on a single campus at Eastpointe High School.
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District Superintendent Christina Gibson said the proposal is intended to address both facility needs and declining enrollment trends.
“We can't be blind and close our eyes to declining enrollment in the state of Michigan, and we actually have to address what is before us,” Gibson said.
One of the most significant changes in the proposal would move middle school students to Eastpointe High School, creating a campus serving grades 6 through 12.
District leaders say the middle and high school populations would have separate areas, entrances and schedules while sharing some facilities.
“By bringing our middle school and our high school together, we can capitalize on our athletic facilities; we have an amazing auditorium that we can share, we can combine our media collection so we have a really fantastic library for children, and then we can start to help our middle school children to get more exposure to college and career,” Gibson said.
The bond proposal also includes funding for classroom improvements, heating and cooling upgrades, roof repairs, technology improvements, safety enhancements and upgrades at the district's Early Learning Center.
For homeowners, approval would mean an increase in property taxes. The district estimates the bond would be levied at 3.5 mills. For a home with a taxable value of $100,000, that would amount to about $350 more per year for approximately 30 years.
Some residents said the cost is their primary concern.
“My hesitation lies with the price tag,” Eastpointe voter Carl Benner said.
“We as the residents of this city have to think about our economics too,” Benner said.
Eastpointe resident Spurgeon Parker said he opposes the proposal because of its potential impact on homeowners.
“It's going to add a financial burden onto the people who own homes here,” Parker said.
“Even though the amount looks small, how the verbiage is worded within these proposals, it's often misleading and people on a fixed income in the long run are going to lose,” Parker said.
The proposal comes after Eastpointe voters approved a separate $36.4 million bond in 2023. District leaders said those funds have largely been used for a different set of projects, including improvements at elementary schools.
“This bond addresses our youngest learners and our oldest learners,” Gibson said.
If voters approve the measure, the district said the $99 million would be borrowed in phases and projects would be completed over several years. If voters reject the proposal, district leaders said building needs would remain and plans to move the middle school to the high school campus would be delayed.
This story was reported on-air by Peter Maxwell and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
