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Dexter school board hears $241.8 million bond plan; committee to define indoor athletics, theater uses
Summary
District staff described a $241.8 million bond proposal the board placed on the ballot and explained how staggered bond series, building repairs and new indoor athletic and theater space would be funded and phased; a community steering committee will refine facility designs and uses.
A district staff member told the Dexter Community School District Board of Education that the district has placed a bond proposal totaling $241.8 million on the ballot and that the bond election is scheduled for May 6.
The staff member said the proposal is the result of a yearlong facilities analysis that involved architects, engineers and volunteer community reviewers and that the plan prioritizes repairs and projects that can be phased over roughly an eight-year window. “The bond election is next Monday,” the staff member said.
The plan, as described to the board, would address immediate capital needs — the presenter said there is roughly $180 million to $200 million of work the district considers necessary — and would fund renovations and replacements such as windows, roofs and carpeting. The presenter said the high school is about 330,000 square feet and that roof work alone is budgeted at about $11,000,000 using current cost estimates.
The proposal includes funding for new indoor athletic space and a smaller, 300–400-seat theater. District staff said the bond budget includes placeholders for those spaces while a community steering committee will determine final site, design and programming. “The indoor athletic space was to help accommodate the fact that we have, I think, 1,400 athletes that play in our middle school through high school,” the presenter said, and added that the high school gym is heavily used year-round.
Board members and staff discussed how the district plans to stagger bond sales across multiple series (the presenter listed planned sales in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031) and to match the length of bond terms to the asset type (for example, buses with shorter terms and facilities with longer terms). The presenter said staggering sales and timing them to market conditions is intended to stabilize the district’s millage and borrowing costs.
Board members also emphasized outreach and transparency: the presenter and trustees pointed to a district webpage with an FAQ that is being updated as the bond campaign proceeds and reminded residents about upcoming listening sessions and the committee that will refine project details after voter approval.
No formal board action on the bond was taken at the meeting. The presenter repeatedly described the plan as a package developed from a facilities review and community input, and said the district would take immediate administrative steps only if voters approve the measure on May 6.
The district’s FAQ and project materials are posted on the Dexter Community School District website, the board was told.
