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ESCANABA -- Residents in Gladstone, Escanaba Township and Brampton Township were asked by Gladstone Area Schools to approve a bond millage proposal. That millage was rejected, with 1,157 votes (59%) against the proposal and 798 votes (41%) in favor of it.
The district asked to borrow a sum not to exceed $35,390,000 and issue bonds to pay for erecting, furnishing, and equipping additions to school buildings and facilities; remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping school buildings, including for school security; acquiring and installing instructional technology; equipping, preparing, developing, and improving athletic fields and facilities, playgrounds, sidewalks, parking areas, driveways, and sites; and purchasing school buses.
The district billed the proposed 5.75 mill ($5.75 per $1,000 of taxable value) millage, which would have been collected for 30 years, as a tax decrease, citing the school's existing bonded debt millage, which will soon be paid off and is taxed at a rate of 5.9 mills ($5.9 per $1,000 of taxable value). While it is true that the 5.75 mills would have been less than what is currently levied, the existing millage being retired did not hinge on the proposal passing.
This district had said it intended to use the funds to adjust traffic patterns at Cameron for safer pick-ups and drop-offs, make facilities more accessible for those with disabilities, and make a number of athletic and recreational upgrades, including a new auxiliary gymnasium at Cameron Elementary, replacing playground equipment at Jones Elementary, and rebuilding the high school track.