Voters to consider school district bond proposal that won’t raise millage rates

GROSSE POINTES/HARPER WOODS — Along with mayors, city council members and municipal court judges, residents who live within the boundaries of the Grosse Pointe Public School System are being asked to weigh in on a bond issue during the Nov. 4 election.

The district is hoping voters will approve a $120 million bond proposal aimed at addressing needs as identified by district officials and consultants along with needs identified through community input. These include upgrades to electrical and mechanical systems, new boilers, modern classroom furniture and learning equipment, relocation of the Grosse Pointe South High School office for safety, installation of an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant elevator at Pierce Middle School to make the second floor and its science labs accessible to all, and repurposing of the Parcells Middle School pool space, among others.

The proposal — which was unanimously approved for placement on the ballot by the Grosse Pointe Board of Education — represents no tax rate increase to residents, as it would keep the millage at or below 3.14 mills. That’s lower than the millage rate of many peer districts, including those in Birmingham, Troy, Northville, Novi, Ann Arbor and West Bloomfield.

“Through strong financial stewardship the District was able to lock in lower interest cost than anticipated on the 2018 bond proposition,” Grosse Pointe Public School System Superintendent Andrea Tuttle said in an email interview. “The lower interest cost together with stronger taxable value growth allowed the District to structure the existing debt to provide a step down in the debt payments in 2025/2026 which allows the District to issue $120 million of new bonds without increasing the debt millage to taxpayers from what they currently pay. It is structured to remain at or below 3.14 which is still among the lowest of our peer districts.”

The sinking fund voters approved in November 2024 was to tackle safety and security, along with districtwide instructional technology upgrades. The bond would address infrastructure needs at the district’s facilities.

Even after the sinking fund was approved, the district still had $198,250,000 in needs, of which $60 million are deemed critical, Tuttle said.

“If the bond does not pass, the district will have to rely on general funds to pay for the costs of the identified capital needs,” Tuttle said. “Please note that 84% of our general fund budget is currently allocated to personnel, including our teachers, administrators, and support staff. The remaining 16% covers everything else, from books to facilities.”

Other projects the bond would address include investment in art, career and technical education spaces, Tuttle said.

The district also hopes to use bond proceeds to upgrade the performing arts center at Grosse Pointe North High School — which is used by the whole district, as well as by the community — along with classrooms where people practice and rehearse for plays and concerts. The Elworthy Field tennis courts in Grosse Pointe City — where Grosse Pointe South tennis players practice and compete — could also be rebuilt with post-tension concrete and new lighting.

Turf practice fields at both high schools are on the list of projects the district hopes to improve with money from the bond.

Along with $60 million in critical needs are what Tuttle said are “$60 million in projects (that) were identified by a diverse cross-section of our community representing every school and city on a Bond Advisory Committee (BAC). The BAC identified projects that would help us attract and retain students and staff.”

During a Sept. 22 Board of Education meeting at Brownell Middle School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Kevin Nugent, of Pointers for Academic Excellence, said that organization was in favor of the bond. Pointers for Academic Excellence was founded by board member Sean Cotton and his wife, Nancy.

Nugent said Pointers for Academic Excellence “commends the administration for the work that went into the bond” and for making sure “no school is left behind” by it.

“We’re committed to strengthening our public schools,” Nugent said.

The Alliance for Grosse Pointe Public Schools is behind the bond as well.

“A yes vote for school funding is an investment in our students, schools, and community,” it stated on its Facebook page.

Board of Education President Colleen Worden thanked district administrators for putting together multiple informational meetings in the community to explain the bond and answer questions from voters.

“I think more than anything, people just need to know what our bond is all about,” Worden said.

For more information about the bond, visit gpschools.org/2025bond.