Hamtramck
Correction: A previous edition of this story said that the vote will be on May 5. Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak in Michigan, Superintendent Jaleelah Ahmed of Hamtramck Public Schools has made the decision to move the vote to August 4 of this year.
Until August 4, voters will be asked to consider a Bond for the Hamtramck Public Schools. The Bond will be for some repairs, some updates, and one new building that Hamtramck Public Schools has deemed essential for providing the best possible education for Hamtramck’s children.
The bond will be doing both major and minor repairs for the school district, including a new elementary school building to replace the portable classrooms next to Dickinson Elementary School West. As of right now, many of the school buildings also need repairs for their air conditioning systems as well.
“It gets unbearably hot,” said Facilities Director Richard Wawrzynski. “Easily in the high 90s during the hottest days of the year.”
The bond is said to cost residents an extra $7 for each $1,000 in taxes. For the average family in Hamtramck, a press release stated, that will be about $175 extra dollars in taxes for each household over the following year.
For many other school districts, the buildings are funded by property taxes. However, since Hamtramck is a relatively low-income area, property taxes are not as reliable for funding Hamtramck Public Schools.
School administrators need to create different avenues for developing revenue for its schools. Since paying teachers, maintaining buildings and purchasing instructional material can all contribute to a high cost, the bond proposal will be another way for Hamtramck Public Schools to fund the desperately needed repairs.
According to the press release, administrators at Hamtramck Public Schools believes that this investment in the schools will also raise the value of homes for many people in return. As well as continuing what the Hamtramck Public Schools has announced to be $7.1 million in scholarships that students have been awarded.
