Sinking fund would refresh technology, roofs for Columbia School District
BROOKLYN, MI - A sinking fund millage going before Columbia School District voters would raise $5.2 million toward refreshing the district’s technology for students, while helping with the replacement of roofs.
The sinking fund is on the ballot for voters in Jackson, Lenawee, Washtenaw and Hillsdale counties on Nov. 2. The proposal seeks approval of .65 mills - $0.65 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation - for 10 years, from 2022 to 2031. You can find the language of the sinking fund millage here.
Overall, the new millage would result in a “net-zero” impact to taxpayers, Columbia School District Superintendent Pam Campbell said, after the district opted to refinance the debt on its 2013 bonds last spring.
The district expects to levy 2.15 mills on the $30.6 million, 30-year millage this December, Campbell said, after levying 2.8 mills in 2020 and 2021. The difference - .65 mills - means taxpayers would be paying the same amount of taxes toward the district’s capital and technology projects as a result of the refinancing.
In subsequent years, taxpayers will pay even less, Campbell said, with the expectation of property values increasing.
“That’s the beauty of it for us,” Campbell said. “Basically, it’s keeping things constant with the net neutral cost.”
If approved, the sinking fund would help Columbia continue to refresh student laptops, with another 500 laptops expected to need replacement in the next two to three years, Campbell said.
A few years later, another 1,000 or so laptops will need to be replaced after they were purchased last year with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, which are part of the American Rescue Plan COVID-19 stimulus package.
“We’re a one-to-one district with Chromebooks, so our students are really using Chromebooks every day, really K-12.”
The district is also looking to replace a number of the classroom smartboards that have aged out at the lower elementary school, Campbell said.
The district also needs to replace a number of roofs on its buildings, with some last replaced around 1999 when Columbia made additions to buildings, Campbell said. Along with the roofs, the district will need to replace a number of HVAC units atop those buildings with more efficient units, she said.
Other potential sinking fund purchases could including refinishing some parking lots in need of repair and renovation to some “accordion” walls that need more permanent replacements conducive to learning, Campbell said.
“We’re just really excited to have this opportunity to continue to provide an excellent environment for our students and our staff, and really be good stewards of the funds that we get from the community and make sure that we continue to provide that excellent learning environment for our students,” Campbell said.
READ MORE:
Columbia School Board votes to move forward with two bond proposals totaling about $30.5 million
New $12M pool gives Jackson Public Schools a ‘world class’ facility for teaching, competition
Gloss