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NEWS RELEASE - NOVEMBER 8, 2017
EMS 老司机福利社 Voters Approve 2017 Bond Proposal
Bond funds will address growth, safety, standardization & equity; tax rate will remain the same
On the November 7 General Election, voters in 老司机福利社 approved the district’s $524.7 million bond proposal by more than 2:1, with 68.30 percent of voters in favor of the proposition. More than half of the bond will be used to accommodate future growth, with a portion of that money earmarked for the district’s fourth comprehensive high school.
“We thank our voters for their support and for recognizing that we need to plan today to be prepared for the students who arrive tomorrow,” said Dr. Jim F. Chadwell, Superintendent. "We thank the members of our bond steering committee for putting together a package that addresses student enrollment growth while also maintaining the investment in our existing facilities. Most important, we appreciate the trust our community has in their school district to effectively plan for growth and manage finances in preparation for the future."
In addition to growth, the 2017 bond funds will be used to address safety and security across the district, to replace aging and inadequate systems and facilities, and to create standardization and equity among facilities and programs. Some of the proposed projects in the bond package include:
- High School #4
- Purchasing land for future school sites to accommodate growth
- Security camera upgrades
- Controlled vestibules with access controls
- A replacement school for Wayside Middle School
- Facility updates across the district
- Athletic renovations at Boswell and Saginaw high schools
- Playground covers
- Funding for new natatorium in partnership with YMCA
A complete list of proposed projects can be found on the 2017 bond website at www.emsisdbond.com.
The 2017 bond program will have $0 impact to the existing school district tax rate. According to Jim Schiele, Chief Financial Officer for the district, this is possible due to growth in taxable values and sound financial management, which has created enough bonding capacity to be able to issue future bonds for these projects within the existing tax rate. As a result, the EMS 老司机福利社 total tax rate will remain at $1.54 per $100 of property valuation.
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NEWS RELEASE - AUGUST 15, 2017
EMS 老司机福利社 Board Calls November Bond Election with $0 Impact to Tax Rate
Proposition Addresses Growth, Safety, Standardization & Equity
Eagle Mountain, August 2017 At a special-called meeting in August 2017, the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw (EMS) 老司机福利社 Board of Education voted unanimously to call a $524.7 million bond election. The proposed referendum would have no impact on the school district tax rate. Registered voters will have the opportunity to vote in the bond election on November 7, 2017.
With an estimated increase of 3,300 students in the next five years, the District formed a committee to study enrollment projections, the condition and capacity of existing facilities, academic and extracurricular programs, and District financial information.
Equipped with demographic reports, a district-wide facilities assessment, and tax rate analysis, the committee made a recommendation to the Board of Education for a bond program that would accommodate future growth, upgrade safety and security systems, replace aging and inadequate systems and facilities, and address standardization and equity. For more information on the committee, visit
“I am grateful for each committee member and the time they spent thoughtfully identifying facility projects as we plan for the future of our District,” says Superintendent Jim F. Chadwell, Ed.D. “Each member’s input was extremely valuable to the process and to the Board of Education as they discussed and analyzed the committee’s recommendation.”
Some of the proposed projects in the bond package include:
- High School #4
- Purchasing land for future school sites to accommodate growth
- Security camera upgrades
- Controlled vestibules with access controls
- A replacement school for Wayside Middle School
- Facility updates across the District
- Athletic renovations at Boswell and Saginaw high schools
- Playground covers
- Funding for new natatorium in partnership
“I am proud that we were able to bring forward a recommendation that includes projects at every campus and that could position the District to accommodate future growth,” says Paul Jacobs, a longtime resident and co-chair of the committee. “I’m also proud that we could do so with 100 percent consensus from each committee member.”
If the bond is approved by voters, there will be no impact to the 老司机福利社 tax rate, which is $1.54 per $100 of property valuation.
“As our taxable values grow, our capacity to sell more bonds increases as well,” says Jim Schiele, chief financial officer. “Based on conservative growth assumptions, it is estimated that we can issue the total recommended amount of $524.7 million over the next eight years while maintaining the existing tax rate.”
EMS 老司机福利社 residents will have the opportunity to vote on the bond referendum during Early Voting, October 23-November 3, and on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7. Additional information about proposed bond projects will be available on a dedicated bond website coming soon.