FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Montague Area Public Schools is committed to a process for ongoing evaluation and monitoring of all school facilities. Continually evaluating and monitoring school facilities helps to protect the community’s investment in its schools. Working with construction, technology, and architectural specialists, the school district completed an in-depth facility study in 2017. The study identified districtwide facility needs and has helped inform many of the recent projects in the district, including renovations to the kitchens at each school building. The long-range plan of the district has indicated that the next step should focus on updates to Montague High School. Starting in the spring of 2021, conversations with staff, students, community members, and the Board of Education identified additional thoughts for advancing the facility offerings for the district. The feedback received through the process indicated a proposal should have minimal to no impact on taxes for the community. As a result, this co-curricular bond will support academics, athletics, performing arts, and technology.

The district is proposing a co-curricular bond that would improve facilities for athletics, agricutlural education, and the performing arts. New Multipurpose Gymnasium with Opportunities for Community Use New Agricultural Barn New Auditorium Lighting/Technology Upgrades Remodeling of Current Co-Curricular Facility Space

Upon a successful election, many stakeholders including staff, students and parents will be engaged to further define and develop the designs of the proposed projects. We also plan to host a community forum and receive input from the community to help shape the potential designs.

The amount of work being proposed in the bond proposal is significant. As such, our Construction Management partners believe it to be the best practice to stagger the implementation of the projects. This will allow for greater contractor participation and will not overstress the construction market that currently is struggling with labor availability. Greater participation of bidders means greater competition and, hopefully, better bid results that will benefit the school district.

Due to the size and scale of school buildings, maintenance, updates and replacement of facilities is costly and often times not possible through the traditional funding received by school districts. Our district has a number of growing needs that require large sums of money to undertake. A bond proposal is the best approach to making the significant updates and improvements needed at MAPS. Many school districts in the State of Michigan typically seek approval for bond proposals every 5-10 years. This allows for significant improvements to occur and keep district facilities current.

Schools receive funding from a number of sources. A simple breakdown of the sources is as follows: Foundation Per Pupil Allowance* The State of Michigan provides a per pupil amount of funding to school districts. Currently the amount received per pupil is $8,700. Operational Millage (Non-Homestead tax levy)* This is a voter approved tax levy that provides operational funding to support the annual school budget. The current Non-Homestead levy in Montague Area Public Schools is 18 mills. * Staff salaries and benefits account for approximately 80-85% of the use of Foundation and Operational Millage funding. The remainder of these funds are typically used for costs of educational programs, building operation costs and supplies. This leaves very little funding available for facilities improvements. Voter Approved Sinking Funds Voter approved sinking funds provide an annual collection of taxes based upon property values. Typically, the collection provides a smaller amount of funding that allow for minor facilities improvements and renovations. Sinking funds cannot be used for the purchase of buses or furniture. Montague Area Public Schools currently operates with a sinking fund millage rate of 0.78 mills. Voter Approved Bond Funds A bond is a state-approved borrowing process for a set scope of projects. When voters approve a bond proposal, the school district sells bonds in the authorized amount and uses the proceeds of the sale to pay for those projects identified in the bond proposal. Bond proposals are most useful when a district needs a large funding source for facility improvement projects. In many ways, the bonding process is like a homeowner obtaining a mortgage and making payments over a period of years. The current levy for past bond projects in Montague Area Public Schools is 7.8 mills.

No. Bond proposal funds cannot be used for employee salaries. They also cannot be used for repair or maintenance costs or other operating expenses. Bond proposal funds must be used only for purposes specified in the ballot language, and as required by state law, they must be independently audited.

No. The bonds would be sold in series. A series bond means that voters are asked to approve the overall millage amount once at the August 2nd, 2022 vote, but then bonds to generate project funds would be sold in stages. The first series would be sold in 2022 and the second series in 2024. This approach is an opportunity to save in interest costs, and it also staggers cashflow for the project, so it is received when needed due to the potential staggered start and completion dates of the proposed projects.

Residents within the Montague Area Public Schools district who will be 18 years of age or older on Election Day and are registered to vote.

Go to the Michigan Voter Information website www.michigan.gov/vote or call the Clerk’s Office where you reside.

You need to update your voter registration if you have changed your name or address since the last time you voted. You can do this at any Secretary of State Office or at the Clerk’s Office where you reside.

Yes. Since voter approval of Proposal 3 in November 2018, registered voters do not need a reason to vote by absentee ballot. You can request an absentee ballot application from your Clerk’s Office or by going online to www.michigan.gov/vote and clicking on Absentee Voting in the left column. Absentee ballots should be available to voters after June 18, 2022 and may be cast through Election Day.