By Dennis Volkert
On Jan. 12, Sturgis Board of Education approved a bond election resolution, by a 7-0 vote. Proposal details were approved by the board in November.
The proposal is scheduled to appear on the May 5 election ballot.
If approved by voters, it would allow the school district to borrow up to $98.475 million and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds for the purpose of several initiations, which include building and remodeling of facilities, equipping and refurnishing, installation of instructional technology and improvement of athletic fields, playgrounds, families, structures and sites. Goal list includes about 15 projects or various types.
The bond millage rate would remain and be extended at the current rate of 7 mills, with no tax rate increase, according to Sturgis Public Schools.
One mill is equal to $100 for each $100,000 of a property’s taxable value.
If passed, funds would be available in two series, one in 2027 and one in 2029.
A bond proposal is how a public school district asks its community for authorization to borrow money to pay for large capital expenditures.
It differs from a building site and sinking fund (BSSF). Bond proposals typically are intended for major, long-term borrowing for large-scale projects, allowing bonds to be sold to provide up-front funding, which is paid with interest over time, while BSSFs provide annual revenue which is better suited for smaller, ongoing repairs or upgrades on a “pay-as-you-go” basis.
Why explore a bond proposal when SPS has other school-related needs? Officials said the bond proposal includes projects, such as roof replacement, that would have to be completed whether the bond proposal passes or not. If those projects are funded through bond proceeds, the pressure is taken from other funding currently budgeted to directly support students in the classroom.
Art Ebert, superintendent at Sturgis Public Schools, said he appreciates how comprehensive the ballot proposal is.
“(It) includes projects that support student safety, academics, athletics and extracurriculars, while also including projects that protect and prolong the longevity of our facilities and promote community use,” he said.
The process
The planning process for the bond proposal began in March 2025. It involved several steps, including formation of steering committees and community engagement groups, and multiple reviews of recommendations by the school board.
Ebert outlined some key elements of the process that led to development of the bond proposal.
“The community steering committee came up with the plan for how we engaged the community and gathered stakeholder input,” Ebert said. “The community engagement sessions helped drive what projects were included and not included in the bond proposal.”
Those engagement sessions provided valuable input in several ways, Ebert said.
“For example, we received strong feedback from participants that they valued reinvesting in our neighborhood elementary schools as opposed to building a new elementary school building,” Ebert said.
Additionally, community engagement session feedback helped officials to determine whether to continue to use the current community pool as-is, or work toward renovating the pool or build a new one, he said.
For a new aquatic center, renovation would fill in the pool and repurpose the current community pool facility for a separate school-related use, Ebert said. If the bond passes, the district plans to engage with community members to determine how to renovate and use that space.
While less expensive than building a new aquatic center, pool renovation would be both costly and time-consuming. The community pool does not meet depth requirements for competitive swimming. That would require use of heavy equipment to dig a new, deeper pool within the confines of the current building. That process could close all swimming programs for more than a year during construction.
The most challenging aspect of a community initiative is ensuring that everyone is involved and informed, Ebert said.
“While we are humbled by the number of people that have been involved in the process so far, we are always looking for opportunities to further engage people.”
Timeline
Process by Sturgis Public Schools to determine the bond proposal’s millage rate, duration and projects:
March 2025: Survey launched to gather interest for participation in the community steering committee.
July 22, 2025: Community steering committee meeting.
July 31, 2025: Joint community and district steering committee meeting.
Aug. 6, 2025: Community engagement session 1.
Aug. 25, 2025: Community engagement session 2.
Sept. 23, 2025: Community engagement session 3.
Oct. 9, 2025: Community steering committee meeting.
Oct. 15, 2025: District steering committee meeting.
Oct. 20, 2025: Recommendations reviewed by board of education.
Oct. 29, 2025: Recommendations discussed by finance committee.
Nov. 9, 2025: Recommendations reviewed at board of education retreat.
Nov. 17, 2025: Bond proposal approved by board of education.
Dec. 4, 2025: Michigan Department of Treasury meeting held to review application for preliminary qualification of bonds.
Dec. 8, 2025: Application for preliminary qualification of bonds approved by board of education.
Jan. 9, 2026: Preliminary qualification of the district bond approved by State of Michigan Department of Treasury.
Jan. 12, 2026: Resolution calling for the election approved by board of education.
Additional details and engagement:
Informational meeting request form:
bit.ly/4bSsgAb
Question-and-answer form:
bit.ly/3NC6uXq
Bond proposal FAQ:
bit.ly/4r83QXH
