2.6 mills will generate $12.5 million for a variety of improvements
By Bill Petzold
Editor
CARO — In February, Caro Community Schools leaders will ask the district’s voters to head to the polls in support of a bond proposal for needed improvements and up-grades to the campus.
The community is invited to an informational meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. December 11 in the Caro High School cafeteria to learn more about the project.
After refinancing the school’s previous 2005 bond earlier this summer — which paid for the building of the new middle school — the Board of Education decided to move forward with a new proposal for 2.6 mills that would generate $12.5 million in funds for school upgrades. A committee of more than 30 community members has provided input as to what the priorities of the project should be, and the board voted to proceed with the bond proposal at a special meeting on August 25.
“A lot of people have said, ‘I didn’t even know that you were going for a bond,’ and it’s not that we’re trying to keep anything secret, it’s just a matter of (our advisors have) repeatedly told us there’s a good time to release (information), and they tell you that’s about 45 days before the vote because you fatigue the public,” Caro Schools
See BOND A3
superintendent Mike Joslyn said.
“(The bond proposal) really started back with (former Caro Schools superintendent Bruce) Nelson. We were tyring to determine what our true needs are here, and we’ve worked with a construction manager and an architect, and they’re working with us on a marketing plan to get the information out.”
While the list of projects the proposed bond will cover if passed won’t fix every last one of the district’s problems, Joslyn, the schools’ faculty and committee members have worked hard to prioritize those issues and develop a plan to address the most-needed upgrades.
One of the centerpieces of the proposal is a community auditorium that will double as the Caro Middle School cafeteria and will serve an additional purpose as a means for students to travel between the district’s buildings without having to go outside, thereby enhancing security. In addition, Joslyn said he has reached out to groups like Caro-based theatre group Thumb Area Center for the Arts (TACA) and Sue’s School of Dance, who likely would benefit from having a place to host performances locally.
Other safety features include updated camera, door-locking and phone systems in all buildings, the replacement of 20-year-old playground structures, upgraded fencing and the purchase of four new school buses to replace aging buses after two were red-tagged in an inspection by the Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.
Joslyn repeatedly stressed the word technology Monday, and part of the bond will go to update computers for students and teachers, replace outdated PA systems and create campus-wide wireless internet accessibility.
From an efficiency standpoint, the bond will provide funds to replace boilers at both elementary schools and at the high school pool, as well as heat pumps for the pool and long-lasting metal roofing to replace shingled roofs on school buildings. Other projects include the removal and replacement of the high school track and facilities, new bleachers at Stamats Field and the complete resurfacing of all school parking lots.
Joslyn said that plenty of information will be available between now and the vote on February 24, 2015. The school’s website will feature details of the bond proposal along with photos, and the school is preparing brochures to hand out and informational signboards that will be placed in the school’s offices. The site, caro.mi.schoolwebpages.com, features videos that promoting the school district, and Joslyn said there are plans to film an informational video to promote the bond issue.
The December 11 meeting, he said, is the first step in getting the word out about the bond proposal.
“If people want to come and learn about it, if you’re going to be a big proponent of it then we’re going to provide you with information to get it out to other people,” Joslyn said. “If you want to just come and learn about it, that would be fine too. We’re going to have more informational community meanings down the road, because if you want to walk in and say, ‘Well let me see those bleachers,’ instead of me doing it one-on-one with people I want to get people together. Whether you want to see it yourself, or again we’re going to have it on our webpage, pictures of the types of things we’re talking about.
“For people that don’t want to come right to the school to say ‘Really, it’s gotten that bad,’ we don’t want to come off that way, but at the same time (if people are wondering), ‘Why do you want money?’ I want to be honest and forthright and show people why.”
Joslyn asked those with questions or concerns to contact him directly via email at mjoslyn@carok12.org and said he’d be happy to speak with anyone about the project.
Joslyn said that according to data he had looked at, a majority of homes in Caro are valued at between $50,000 and $60,000 in value, so the average payment to support the millage would be $71.50 per year, or about $6 a month. In total, the bond would generate $12,500,000 for school improvements. Construction on the proposed projects would likely begin a couple years after the millage is approved as funds are accrued to begin work.
Bill Petzold is the editor of the Tuscola County Advertiser. He can be reached at petzold@tcadvertiser.com.
Major features of the Caro Community Schools bond proposal:
SAFETY
• Updated camera systems and door locking systems in all buildings
• Update phone systems to meet 911 requirements
• Remove and replace absestos floorcovering
• Replace 20-year-old playground structures at elementaries
• Upgrade fencing, add protective bollards at Schall
• Renovate all non-compliant bathrooms to meet with American Disabilities Acts standards
• Purchase four new buses
TECHNOLOGY
• Equip students with computers and digital devices
• Upgrade classrooms with data projectors, etc.
• Create campus-wide wireless access
• Upgrade teacher computers
• Replace PA systems at Schall and McComb
EFFICIENCY
• Replace boilers at both elementary schools and pool
• Reinstate proper lighting in midde and high school gyms and pool
• Replace heat pumps in pool
• Replace lockers at Schall and McComb
• Replace shingled roofs with metal roofs
COMMUNITY
• Create a community auditorium that will double as middle school cafeteria
• Remove and replace track, pole vault and long jump pits
• Resurface all parking lots
• Replace bleachers and lighting at Stamats Fields