The St. Joseph Public Schools Board of Education is placing a $98,500,000 bond proposal on the May 7, 2024, ballot to fund district-wide facility improvements and upgrades.
The district this week released the following:
If approved by voters, the bond will provide funds for multiple years and allow the district to impact the student experience by addressing aged facilities and infrastructure, safety and security, capacity issues, and programming needs. The district plans to allocate the funds from the proposed bond across the entire district as follows:
Elementary Schools $27,217,000
Middle School $23,740,000
High School $26,164,000
Early Childhood Center $11,783,000
District-Wide $9,596,000
TOTAL $98,500,000
Key bond improvements would:
Improve safety and security, including student drop-off/pick-up, traffic flow, and parking
Add classrooms to create dedicated spaces for elementary art, music, and physical education
Upgrade existing classroom environments
Replace, upgrade, or relocate elementary playgrounds, outdoor learning spaces, and walking tracks
Update aging mechanical and electrical systems at the secondary schools
Replace aging roofs and create a roof replacement cycle
Upgrade outdoor physical education and athletic facilities
Establish an Early Childhood Center
The projects were developed following an in-depth facilities assessment and comprehensive strategic planning process, and after engaging stakeholders through both surveys and community forums. SJPS is working with architecture firm PURE Architects, engineering firm Ignyte Design, and construction manager partner The Christman Company.
“Historically, the St. Joseph community has been incredibly supportive of our schools; in return we strive to be fiscally responsible with their investment, maintain our facilities to the best of our ability, leverage outside support, efficiently allocate state funds, and continue to provide high-quality programs, opportunities, and learning environments for our students. If approved, the bond will allow the district to address issues that are beyond our annual operating budget, and responsibly address, for the long-term, aging infrastructure, safety, and programmatic needs,” said Superintendent Jennifer Fee.
If approved by voters, the bond will increase the debt tax rate by 1.95 mills the first year. This is approximately $97.50 annually for each $50,000 in taxable value/$100,000 market value of homes.
Complete details about the proposed bond projects will be shared on the district’s website at www.sjschools.org.
The district will hold a community forum on March 18, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at Upton Middle School to provide further details about the bond scope and timeline.
