MAPS faculty celebrate election results

MARQUETTE — Yesterday’s elections brought an array of news to several school districts around the U.P. While some bonds failed to pass, Marquette Area Public Schools received an approval on their proposal.

With nearly three thousand votes cast, sixty-seven percent of voters voted yes on the six point three million dollar bond. An influx of elementary-aged students in the district initially prompted the bond proposal.

The district is hoping to get an early start on smaller projects like the computer makers lab and upgrades to the football and track complex.

MAPS staff and faculty are extremely grateful for the voters that turned out.

“We have an extremely supporting community, a community that is very invested in the schools, invested in our students success,” said MAPS Superintendent Bill Saunders. “That’s really what the bond was all about: providing an environment to further enhance the educational experiences of our students. I just can’t say enough how measurable of an impact this is going to have on the student body for Marquette Area Public Schools.”

The larger projects including additional classrooms, the auxiliary gym, ADA upgrades to the Shiras Planetarium and Kauffman auditorium updates will have to wait for both state and county approval. The larger construction projects are slated to start in the spring of 2017 and finish just in time for the beginning of the 2017 school year.