Clinton Township

Chippewa Valley voters approve $89M bond

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Students of the Chippewa Valley School District will soon see improvements in classroom technology, building infrastructure and building safety, officials say.

Voters approved the district’s request for a bond proposal worth $89 million by a 58.6 percent margin at the polls Feb. 23. The Chippewa Valley Schools will now move forward with its plan to make various improvements district-wide. Changes are expected to take place over the course of the next five years.

School officials in the ninth-largest school district in the state analyzed the needs of each building over the course of 16 months.

“We are always looking to the future and planning,” said Henry Chiodini, Chippewa Valley school board president. “We have to stay on top of our buildings and their needs, like refurnishing and upgrades. We are constantly keeping track of these things.” 

The needs for the district were compiled and listed on the bond proposal. The district hopes to partially remodel, refurnish and re-equip school district buildings, as well as acquire and install educational technology systems, acquire school buses, and develop and improve sites, athletic fields, facilities, playfields and playgrounds.

According to Mark Deldin, superintendent of Chippewa Valley Schools, the current bond issue will require residents to continue to pay the current 7.65-mill debt millage rate until 2031, meaning that $7.65 is paid for every $1,000 of a home’s taxable value. It was to expire in 2026.

For example, a resident whose home has a taxable value of $100,000 would pay $765 dollars annually.

“By participating in the school bond loan fund, the government loans $89 million to Chippewa Valley as a bond,” said Deldin. “The money then gets paid back to the government by the taxpayers through the 7.65 millage rate for the extended five years.”

In response to criticism regarding the need for updated technology within the district, Deldin adds, “Technology is so prevalent in our society and kids are becoming more engaged with different forms of it at a younger age. It’s a very important classroom tool today.”

For example, Chippewa Valley administrators recently took a trip to China, where the schools have interactive white boards in every classroom.

“We need to compete in a global society,” said Chiodini. “We need to have the same equipment that we are being challenged with.”

Chiodini added, “The interactive white boards are another way for the kids to learn. The elementary school kids are so technologically savvy that technology makes them more excited to learn. At the end of the day, it is a natural fit for the kids in the community.”

A total of 15,900 students from Clinton and Macomb Townships attend Chippewa Valley Schools.

“The people moving into Clinton and Macomb are fairly sophisticated, and a lot of them take the time to check out the schools and the opportunities available to their kids,” said Chiodini. “How we are going to provide educational opportunities for the kids and families in our community is always on our mind.”

A total of 5,886 people voted yes on the bond issue; 4,150 people voted no.

“Yesterday’s election result was a victory for the children of this community,” said Deldin. “The majority of the voting public said they wanted to continue the tradition of educational excellence here in the Chippewa Valley School District. I’m very happy for the children of this community.”