UNION CITY, MI — Plans to consolidate Union City Schools’ High School and Middle School will go forward even if voters do not pass the proposed $19.1 million 30-year bond Tuesday, Aug. 5.
Superintendent Chris Katz told a dozen audience members at July 29 public forum the board intends to spend the $23.625 million grant from the state to consolidate buildings.
The Union City Middle School will close by 2027 using a state consolidation grant even if voters reject a bond issue on Tuesday’s ballot.
Without the additional money, the move of the fifth grade to the elementary school would leave it crowded and still in need of improvements.
Construction on the middle/high school consolidation will begin next May, with work completed by the fall of 2027.
The bond proposal
The ballot language reads the $19.1 million for payback. Katz said the schools receive $18.9 million with the difference the cost of selling the bonds.
The ballot proposal calls for 2.59 mills for the first year.
Katz and current Union City Board of Education members said the board would reduce the district’s building sinking fund by 1.75 mills, making the effective millage collected 0.84 mills.
The school district saw a 33% increase in taxable value from $202 million to $330.4 million over two years because of the DTE Sauk Solar Farm.
Katz explained, “Whatever millage we have, the solar farm is now paying a third of it.”
Figures provided to Katz showed average home values in the school district were $140,000 with a taxable value of $70,000. The tax collected to pay back the bonds for the average home would be $58 a year, less than $5 a month.
The school board hired a consultant to survey the district’s buildings constructed in 1952, 1961, and 1975.
The Middle School, the newest building, is in the worst condition due to the inexpensive construction methods used at the time.
The consolidation grant provides funds to replace corroding pipes like these in the current high school, a project the sinking fund is not large enough to pay for.
What wouldn’t be covered by the consolidation grant?
Significant upgrades, including new air conditioning, emergency security tools, and better communication systems
New parking lots and repaving of existing asphalt areas
Classroom updates, including replacing old counters, sinks, and ADA bathrooms
The STEM lab planned for the high school addition
The stage planned for the cafeteria at the high school
Building a softball filed next to the baseball diamond, with new concession stand and bathrooms, with reconstruction of the track to eight lanes
Funds planned to tear down the middle school building, except for the gym and fifth-grade wing, which will be used as a community gym and school central offices
The elementary school two new classrooms, a larger kitchen, and a secure entry
Converting the existing elementary kitchen into part of the cafeteria, with the old kitchen used for storage
New boilers, air conditioning units, and LED lighting for the elementary school
“Most of the stuff that takes place in the classrooms at the elementary will not be able to get done without the bond passing,” Katz said.
A new addition for the middle school would fit between the high school and field house, with completion set for fall 2027.
The Michigan School Consolidation Grant will provide:
Funds to close the middle school and integrate fifth-grade students into the elementary school.
Sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students moved to the high school expansion designated as the middle school with its entrance and classrooms.
An addition between the field house and the high school constructed for the art room, media center, and a shared cafeteria.
The middle school wing separated from the high school, ensuring a clear division between the two areas.
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Katz said the architect will provide cost estimates for whichever project moves forward on Aug. 11.
The community steering committee meets on Aug. 14 to make recommendations to the school board, which will decide on the final plans and how to proceed.
Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Union City Schools bond proposal up for Aug. 5 vote