School district bond election postponed

 

 

By Charles Sercombe
School officials will have to wait a few months to see if voters will approve a $35 million bond proposal.
It’s another setback caused by the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the country and the world.
At a special meeting last Thursday, the Hamtramck Board of Education decided to postpone the election, which had been scheduled for May 5, until the August 4th Primary Election.
The action was taken at the urging of the Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who told communities that were holding special elections on May 5 to either postpone them until the primary election, or have voters vote by absentee ballot only.
There is a concern that the coronavirus will still be active even in May, and at this point health officials have no firm idea when it will subside.
As of Thursday, when we went to print, there were 300,000 cases worldwide and over 20,000 deaths caused by it.
In the US, there are over 60,000 cases, and 800 deaths, and in Michigan there are over 2,300 cases and over 40 deaths.
There is one case, so far, in Hamtramck.
Health officials expect the spread of the virus to swell in the coming days.
As for the school bond proposal, the public school district is seeking voter approval of 7 mills over the next 30 years. That will raise about $35 million.
The money raised will be used to make numerous repairs and renovations to school buildings, as well as to construct a new three-story school next to Kosciuszko Middle School.
It has been estimated that the bond will cost the average homeowner an additional $200 to $300 a year in property taxes.
Anyone who already voted by absentee ballot for the May election will automatically get another absentee vote (AV) ballot for the August primary, said City Clerk August Gitschlag.
If you have not yet returned your absentee ballot for the May election, there is no need to do so.
March 27, 2020

2 Responses to School district bond election postponed

  1. Nasr Hussain

    March 27, 2020 at 11:39 pm

    School board should shelve this ballot proposal until the situation clears and and the economic aftermaths of the Covid19 pandemic on the city’s residents are evaluated.

    They should show those residents that they care about them and not give them the impression that the money is the thing they care about most.

    This pandemic should even prompt them to take a closer look at establishing virtual at-home learning programs for the students to avoid what have just happened and invest in the technological advancement of the district instead of constructing and repairing buildings that can be shut down at a moment’s notice leaving students idle at home.

    Mrs. Jaleelah, Take the initiative and radically transform the district instead of trying to maintain the status quo.

  2. Nasr Hussain

    March 28, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    in-person instruction should be maintained for elementary grades while virtual instruction should be for all middle and high school students who are more mature and understand the benefits of education.

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