PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Just one day after Michigan residents voted on several bond proposals and millages, the Portage Public Schools (PPS) Board of Trustees announced that it will be voting on a new proposal next week.
Trustees will consider whether to put a proposal on the August ballot that would replace 5 elementary schools with new buildings, remodel another, and support
busses and technology.
Officials say the vote at the regular board meeting next Monday, May 10, comes after a presentation earlier this week on the results of a new survey.
That survey showed that 62.6 percent of respondents said they would vote to approve a 25-year bond to build five new elementary schools.
“This is a significant improvement over the results of a similar survey, with a slightly different plan, that was conducted last March, just as COVID-19 was closing down our schools,” Superintendent Mark Bielang said in a statement. “If the Trustees approve moving forward, we have a unique opportunity to finance these projects in a way that will not increase the tax obligations of Portage residents.”
Officials say the buildings slated for replacement were all constructed in the 1960’s, and no longer meet the educational needs for the 21st century.
Of the survey participants, 57.6 percent indicated that they felt PPS facilities are in need of improvement.
“Some of the issues identified, such as classroom size, updated mechanicals, air handling, and safety have become even more critical as we move past the pandemic,” Superintendent Bieland continued. “We have been able to put temporary measures in place (ie. air purifiers in each classroom) as students are welcomed back to their classrooms next fall, but long term solutions will be required. The survey also identified some key perceptions of the community that we will need to address in the next few months, and we are committed to a transparent process of addressing those concerns moving forward.”
To view the entire 2021 Community Survey Report, and the responses to open-ended survey questions in the Responses Listing report, readers can visit www.portageps.org.
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