Howell Public Schools will have a bond on the May ballot.

The Howell School Board approved a resolution Monday night that will put a bond on the May 7th ballot. The bond will raise $39 million for the school district, which will be used to update infrastructure such as roofs and boilers, secure entry points, add school buses and STEM Labs and athletic facility upgrades. The bond comes after the sinking fund millage failed to pass by just 28 votes in November. Howell Public Schools Superintendent Erin MacGregor told WHMI that he sought input from voters, who said they wanted to see more money put into safety and extracurricular activities…

“I think our students deserve to be educated in safe and secure learning environments, and I think every piece of this bond request speaks to that. It speaks to making sure that they’re in buildings that are heated and cooled, it makes sure students are in buildings that are safe and secure. We’re excited to make this pitch to the community and get out there and speak to it.”

The bond has been structured so that residents will pay less in taxes, not more. The debt millage will fall from 6.3 mills to 6.2 mills. MacGregor says this is another great aspect of the bond...

“We were able to structure this bond request in a way that actually, if approved, voters will still see a decrease in their debt millage - that 6.3 would be reduced to 6.2 even if this passes. So, that’s another huge piece of this message, we can invest in our schools, we can invest in our community and still lower your taxes. It’s not very often that we can go out to the community and make a request that adds significant improvement to the school district, yet say we can do it all while still reducing your taxes.”

Residents would pay off the bond in 2034. (AV)