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Ferndale superintendent previews May 6 bond to renovate middle and high school
Summary
Superintendent Camille Hibler told the City Council that the Ferndale Public Schools 2025 bond — on the May 6 ballot — would fund major renovations at the district's middle- and high-school portions of the shared building, with no millage increase proposed.
Superintendent Camille Hibler told the Ferndale City Council on Monday that Ferndale Public Schools plans a 2025 bond proposal for the May 6 election that would concentrate on renovating classroom and fine-arts space at the district's middle- and high-school building.
Hibler said the proposal would continue the district's facilities master plan and bring the middle- and high-school learning environments closer in quality to recently rebuilt elementary buildings. "Our focus area is ensuring that our middle and high school learning environments match the quality of our recently improved elementary buildings," Hibler said.
The district's 2020 bond funded several upgrades across Ferndale's elementary schools, Hibler said, and the 2025 package is intended to address aging classroom stock at the combined middle/high school. She described plans to replace an academic wing, reconfigure middle-school space onto a single floor to create more distinct middle- and high-school identities within the shared building, and add fine-arts space including a new high-school band room and music room. Hibler also said the plan includes safety upgrades such as secure visitor entry points.
On taxes, Hibler told councilors the package is structured as a 0-mill increase: "If approved, voters can expect there'll be no increase in their tax rates for this bond proposal," she said. She emphasized that bond proceeds cannot be used for salaries.
Hibler reviewed outreach steps and a planned collaborative design process if the measure passes; she said construction would not begin before 2027. She also noted an associated district strategic-planning process and invited community input through a short online survey that closes April 4.
The presentation was informational; no council action on the bond occurred at the meeting.
Hibler closed by encouraging residents to visit the district website for more information and to participate in the design input process if the measure passes.
