The Wayland Board of Education Monday evening officially applied to the Michigan Secretary of State to place a bond issue on the special election ballot May 2.
This time the request will be for $49.7 million, a slight increase over the $48.5 million proposal that was turned down in the Aug. 2 primary. Assistant Supt. For Finance and Operations Patricia Velie explained that inflation drove up the price tag and there are added plans to add a community room to the back to the administration building to accommodate growing numbers of the local senior citizens’ group that has outgrown the Transportaion Building on Wildcat Drive.
The biggest feature in the bond request again is constructing a new high school pool to replace the 49-year-old facility that many insist has outlived its usefulness. Velie and other school officials have insisted the pool isn’t just for interscholastic competition, but also for community recreation and exercise and for classes to teach children how to swim.
However, repairs and renovations at all school district buildings would be included in the bond project as well.
The bond proposal last August went down by a narrow margin of 225 votes and school officials maintain it’s too important to give up on.
In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the board:
- Was told by Velie she may agree to invest in a higher yield account at United Bank. She said interest rates have been climbing and it may soon be advantageous to move some money. “We don’t want to get into a situation where we have a cash flow problem,” she said.
- Approved the annual “Futures” trip for students to Northern Michigan University at the end of the academic year, chaperoned by high school math teacher Amy Nelson. The board at first seemed reluctant, but student representative Summer Morrison said she enjoyed and learned so much at last spring’s trip she now plans to matriculate at NMU.
- Heard Supt. Tim Reeves wax eloquent about a couple of tragedies that seem to have silver linings in that they bring neighboring school districts closer together. The tragic events were the death of middle school teacher and wrestling coach Jody Tyler and the murder-suicide that took the lives of two Fennville students.
- Agreed to raise the pay for auxiliary athletics workers from $10 an hour to $11 an hour, noting the minimum wage Jan. 1 was bumped up to $10.10 an hour.
- Learned from Morrison and fellow student rep. Ava Makowski that the next high school play at the Fine Arts Center will be “Blithe Spirit” Feb. 2, 3 and 4.
- Learned from Treasurer Pete Zondervan that Wayland hasn’t had to hold back any students in the wake of the State Legislature’s new law to remediate third-graders determined not to read well enough.
- Was told by Velie that about 5 percent of the district’e revenue comes from the Gun Lake Casino under the revenue sharing arrangement.
- Held its annual election of officers. Dan Cassini was re-elected president, Theresa Dobry vice president, Pete Zondervan treasurer again and Becky Hohnke secretary.
