MCBAIN — The McBain School District will ask residents to pass a new bond and sinking fund during this year’s May 2 special election.
With the election almost here, this is what you need to know about the district’s two ballot proposals.
McBain Schools Superintendent Scott Akom said the proposed bond will be at one mil for eight years. In those eight years, he said the bond would raise $2.15 million total. The bond would be a loan and accumulate interest over time.
The sinking fund is set at three mils for 10 years and would raise $923,000 in its first year. Akom said the sinking fund has no interest and the district can allow the fund to accumulate money over time before spending it.
If the two proposals passed, he said there would be a four mil tax increase for home and business owners. Akom said the district is currently levying zero mils.
“It’s our goal to meet the district’s needs, but also be wise and conscious of the cost to the community members,” he said.
Since certain district expenses can only be funded through one proposal and not the other, Akom said they will appear as two separate proposals on the May ballot.
He said the district plans to use the bond money to purchase 10 new buses, replace the community track, replace an antiquated irrigation system and create a paved pathway to the visitors’ side and field events side of the track.
Busing is the top priority for the bond money because of the school’s aging fleet. Akom said they plan to purchase three buses in 2023 and 2024, and two buses in 2025 and 2026. After 2026, he said the district would purchase one new bus per year.
With the community track being 30 years old, Akom said they need to replace it so the school can host larger events. He said the paved pathway would also the visitors and field event side of the track more handicap accessible.
“We can’t just resurface (the track),” he said. “We need to replace and go down to the base or the cracking will continue to appear.”
Through the sinking fund, Akom said the district is looking to continue providing one-to-one technology for students annually, upgrade building security, replace the middle school gym floor and make roof repairs.
Akom said the one-to-one technology used to be paid for through pandemic relief money, but those funds are not longer coming in.
Currently, the school provides each kindergarten through fourth-grade student with iPads and each fifth- through 12th-grade student with a Macbook.
Akom said the school replaces a certain number of devices by cycling them out to ensure they don’t become old at the same time. The district aims to replace two grades’ worth of laptops and two grades’ worth of iPads each year.
He also said this is so the district isn’t purchasing new devices all at once. Within four years, the school is able to get through all of the devices for all the grades.
Some security upgrades the district is looking to make include creating an entrance for the high school along Roland Street, putting on film to school doors to make them more difficult to break through and purchasing 100 MHz radio boosters to improve radio communication for law enforcement.
Akom said the district also planning to make its entrance more secure by adding vestibules. The vestibules would provide a holding area for school visitors before they are buzzed into the building.
Akom said the middle school gym floor was put in in 1959 and is becoming worn out. He also said they needed to have the asbestos under the floor abated. The asbestos comes from the glue that was commonly used back when the floor was first installed.
The facility upgrades continue with the roof, which Akom said they are looking to repair around 30% of it. The oldest section of the roof was built in 1988 and has sustained hail damage.
If the proposals pass, Akom said they would look at getting three buses in the fall of 2023 and start putting bids together for the secure entrances, community track replacement and roofing repairs. He said they’d try to get those facility-related projects going by the summer of 2024.
Technology replacement is another immediate priority for the district.
If one or both of the proposals fail, Akom said the district would reassess and get more community input. After collecting feedback from the community, he said they would try again.
Those with any questions about the two proposals can contact Akom at (231) 825-2165.
Voters from Richland Township and Clam Lake Township in Wexford County will go to the Richland Township Hall at 9698 W. Cavanaugh Road.
Voters from the city of McBain, Reeder Township, Aetna Township, Holland Township, Lake Township, Highland Township in Osceola County and Marion Township in Osceola will go to McBain City Hall at 9478 S. Morey Road.
Voters from Riverside Township, Clam Union Township and Winterfield Township in Clare County will go to Riverside Township Hall at 2900 W. Geers Road.