GLADSTONE — Gladstone Area Schools will hold a town hall information meeting about its request for a bond proposal. The meting will be held Wednesday, October 18, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Gladstone High School auditorium. According to Superintendent Jay Kulbertis, the meeting is intended to provide details on the potential projects at each school building and to answer any questions about the bond election.

The bond proposal language reads “Shall Gladstone Area Schools, Delta County, Michigan, borrow the sum of not to exceed Thirty-Five Million Three Hundred Ninety Thousand Dollars ($35,390,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, in one or more series, for the purpose of: erecting, furnishing, and equipping additions to school buildings and facilities; remodeling, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping school buildings, including for school security; acquiring and installing instructional technology; equipping, preparing, developing, and improving athletic fields and facilities, playgrounds, sidewalks, parking areas, driveways, and sites; and purchasing school buses?”

Some of the proposed projects the bind proposal would fund include:

– Upgrade security systems (intruder resistant film, cameras and access control)

– Replace playground equipment and playground surfacing at the elementary schools

– Continue the implementation of the district’s long-range facility improvement program including roofs, ventilation systems, electrical and plumbing upgrades

– Replace the buses and update the bus garage

– Re-designing of entry and exits to parking lots

– Upgrade instructional technology to support technology for each student

– Implement an Industrial Arts program at the junior high

– Expand Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) program at elementary schools

– Expand Project-Based learning opportunities at the elementary schools

– Update classroom furniture to meet the needs of today’s learner

– Create an Early Childhood Center at Cameron Elementary

– Build a new multipurpose/gymnasium at Cameron Elementary

– Upgrade athletic facilities throughout the district

– Upgrade parking lot areas

“For the past year and a half, the Gladstone Area Schools have been collaborating with our community, students, and staff to work through our project planning process. As a result of this work, we are pursuing a bond proposal on the November 7, 2023 ballot. The upcoming bond election provides the opportunity to lower the tax levy while supporting long-term investments in our students and our facilities,” Kulbertis said.

“Our goal with this bond project is to improve all of our facilities to better meet the needs of all of our students, while locking in a lower tax rate,” Superintendent Jay Kulbertis.

“We are committed to fiscal discipline and accountability. By strategically managing our resources, and taking a purposeful long term approach, we can deliver transformative improvements while also reducing the tax burden of our community,” Kulbertis said.