School board now has more time to promote its bond proposal

The Hamtramck public School Board did the responsible thing by postponing its bond election.
The board had planned to hold a special election on May 5, but at the request of the Michigan Secretary of State, rescheduled it for the Aug. 4 Primary Election.
This came about because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The full force of the of virus has yet to hit this country, but health officials are estimating that millions of Americans will come down with it.
Holding an election in May could have exposed more voters to the virus, although it was likely that if the vote went on, voters would have been forced to participate by absentee ballot only.
By waiting for the August primary, the school board will be spared the expense of holding an election, which costs about $15,000. That’s because the city already has an election scheduled for August, so there is no added cost for the school district to piggyback onto it.
The district is seeking approval of 7 mills to be added to property taxes, in order to do numerous repairs and renovations — and even to build a much-needed new school building.
It will be no easy accomplishment for the district to get voters behind this proposal.
But the district now has additional time to make its case to the voters.
Above all, kudos to the school board for putting the health and safety of voters above its bond proposal.
Posted March 27, 2020