East China Schools bond proposal goes to voters Tuesday – The Times Herald

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Residents gathered at Immanuel Lutheran Church on March 5, 2020, for a presentation on the district's upcoming bond proposal.(Photo: Jeremy Ervin / Times Herald)

ST. CLAIR -Shannon Karas and her father-in-law Bill Karas took seats in the gym of Immanuel Lutheran Church on Thursday night. They had come for a presentation on East China School District's bond proposal, lead by Superintendent Suzanne Cybulla.

Bill Karas came to ask a question. He wanted to make sure the school had a maintenance plan in place to upkeep the proposed renovations. Cybulla assured him a plan was in place.

"I just want to make sure they can maintain the buildings, I'm happy to pay my fair share for my grandkids," he said. "I'm sure there's things in there I don't like, or think they don't need, but everyone's going to have their own pet peeves.

"If they can maintain it, this will probably be the first tax I vote yes on."

Voters will decide on a $112.9 million bond proposal from the East China School District Tuesday. If approved, officials said the funds will be spent on wide-sweeping technology, facilities and security upgrades.(Photo: Brian Wells/Times Herald)

Shannon Karas said she's enthusiastic about the bond program, but was a little skeptical at first. She has a first and third grader in the district. Her kids went to Pine River Elementary, which she described as a great school.

"I actually went to the other schools and saw they're the same way they were 20 years ago when I graduated from St. Clair," she said. "It needs to happen, I didn't realize how far behind we were."

The presentation on Thursday was the last in a series of public outreach events ahead of thevote on Tuesday.

Cybulla walked the room through the schools plan should the community vote to approve the 1.5 mill, $112.9 million bond proposal.

The district has faced declining enrollment in recent years, with the trend projected to continue. In response to the loss of per pupil funding, the district has sought to reduce its number of buildings while providing additional services for students, Cybulla said.

"We've been making cuts for years and years, and it's just become part of how we do business," Cybulla said.

"We have to find a sustainable place, we can't keep working how we're working."

A $148.68 million bond proposal in May 2019 and an about $50 million proposal in 2016 wererejected by voters. Voters approved proposals from the district in 1998, 2001 and 2014, according to the state treasury department.

This year'sbond plan would keep both St. Clair High School and Marine City High School separate, a departure from the singular combined middle school/high school proposed last year. Each high school would become a combined middle-school high school, hosting grades six through 12.

A wide variety of infrastructure updates are planned across the district's schools if the bond is approved by voters. Each building would get an easily locked down entry vestibule for security purposes and additional security cameras.

Athletic facilities across the district would also be updated, including renovatinglocker rooms at East China Stadium, renovatingtennis courts and baseball fields and remodeling pool areas at both 6-12 grade schools. The district's Performing Arts Center would receive updated lighting and rigging systems, if voters approve the bond.

The bond program would include a new Innovation / Early Childhood Center at the district's site at 1585 Meisner Road, East China where the district's administrative offices and Performing Arts Center currently sit.Eight STEAM classrooms, focusing on giving students space for apply engineering, science and math lessons, would be constructed, along with additional parking, among other renovations. The site would also be able to host supplemental course opportunities for students in both St. Clair and Marine City such as advanced courses.

Students from Gearing Elementary would be transferred to the current St. Clair Middle School, which would become a new elementary school, with the name to be decided.The tentative timeline for construction would roll out over four years, wrapping up in the 2024-2025 school year.

Following the presentation, Cybulla asked voters to appreciate the critical nature of the project, and that the value of the educational opportunities that could come with it.

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Jeremy Ervin covers environment, education and more.Contact him at (810) 989-6276 or jervin@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter@ErvinJeremy.

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East China Schools bond proposal goes to voters Tuesday - The Times Herald