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Voters approve Ann Arbor Schools' $1 billion bond to improve facilities

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Posted at 5:12 AM, Nov 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-06 06:43:13-05

(WXYZ) — The largest school bond ask comes out of Ann Arbor for a billion dollars.

Unofficial results show voters narrowly approving of the bond. More than 12,000 people, or 53 percent of voters approved the bond. While 11,000 people, or 46 percent, voted no.

7 Action News reporter Ali Hoxie spoke with the superintendent of the Ann Arbor school system last week. She told 7 Action News the money will be used for building improvements and security.

The superintendent says the average age of the 32 school buildings in the Ann Arbor School system is 63 years. 7 Action News has been told the money will be used for updates and repairs to those buildings.

There are also plans to add more cameras to school properties, and vestibules will be added to all school entry ways with windows from the front office to see who wants to gain access.

"You actually will see the buzzer system in place which we have done with our funds that we had," said Jeanice Kerr-Swift, the superintendent of Ann Arbor Schools. "So there are buzzing systems on every building in the district but what you won’t see is that next step which is that layer of an entryway that is glassed in where the person arriving are completely visible to the folks inside the front office."

This is the second highest bond to be approved in Michigan since 1994, when Detroit Public School voters approved a one and a half billion dollar bond.