Increase in enrollment, limited classroom space ignites bond proposal

MARQUETTE — While many districts are seeing decreasing enrollment, Marquette Area Public Schools are seeing the opposite trend, leading to limited classroom space.

This ignited the district to come up with a bond proposal that will not only satisfy classroom expansion, but will also contribute to much–needed renovations. ABC 10’s Chelsea Birdsall has the details.

The trend of extra students at MAPS is attributed to children starting in the district at a younger age, but the influx of younger students has left the elementary schools short on classroom space.

The $6.3 million bond would remedy this problem by adding a total of eleven classrooms between Superior Hills, Cherry Creek and Graveraet elementary schools. A new computer lab is included in the bond as well.

“Something that’s brand new, a state of the art computer lab, a computer maker’s lab, which would be used K–12.
We’d develop a program where all our students and surrounding schools would be able to come in and use that computer maker’s lab.

Teaching coding, programming, movie making, 3D printing, all those types of skills that our students really need for post–secondary and the workforce.”

Though the bond is asking for a significant amount from tax payers, Saunders says residents won’t see their taxes go up.
“We have a current bond on our Cherry Creek and Superior Hills from 1994 that’s about ready to fall off the books.
This bond is going to replace that millage, so in essence, an individuals tax structure won’t go up from the passage of this bond.

Now certainly they’d be paying taxes for a longer period of time, this bond will run through 2030, it’s going to mean another ten years of those taxes but again but it won’t raise their yearly millage rate.”

Updates to the football field and track, as well as the addition of an auxiliary gym would also be covered by the bond.
Voting for the millage will take place on May third.