A critical bond proposal for Sault Area Public Schools will be voted on this coming Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Back in July, the Sault Area Public Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the $57 million bond proposal on the Nov. 7 ballot.
The bond will provide funding for a new K-4th grade elementary school, update Sault Area High School and Career Center, and update and equip playgrounds and playfields.
The new elementary school would be built on the soccer fields south of the high school parking lots. The current Lincoln and Washington Elementary schools would close if the bond passes.
The bond proposal began with an in-depth assessment of Sault Area Public Schools' facilities. The assessment was conducted in the summer of 2022 by architects and engineers working with members of the school district’s administration.
The review process focused on the following:
- Improving safety and security;
- Exploring the cost of renovating Lincoln and Washington Elementary Schools vs. consolidating the schools into one new K-4 facility;
- Improving the learning environment to support the educational program at Sault Area High School and Career Center by creating expanded and flexible learning spaces; and,
- Improving operating efficiencies and reducing operational costs.
At the elementary level, due to the cost of renovation of the current two elementary schools versus building a new school, the recommendation was to close both schools and build a new K-4 facility on the high school/middle school campus.
At the secondary level, the project list included making interior and exterior improvements, including creating more flexible learning spaces, remodeling the pool area into a multi-use space, constructing a new entrance to the gym area to limit public access to the academic area of the building, creating a band practice area and performance stage for K-12 performances and events, and updating the parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks.
Once these details were announced, many took to social media to express their support while others had major concerns and did not support the proposal.
Peggy Suriano is one resident that says a definite "NO" .
"Unfortunately I can see no pros on this other than the kids get a new elementary school and some costly unnecessary additions to the high school. And quite frankly, I don’t see the new building or high school additions as a pro," Suriano said.
Suriano went on to be more specific about some of her concerns.
"There is declining enrolment, along with declining tax rolls. Traffic will be too intense for surrounding roads with schools all in the same location. Washington and Lincoln schools just got remodeled. And finally, the high cost of living at this time," explained Suriano.
Suriano is not against providing solid education for the children, but feels what's in the proposal goes overboard.
"This whole bond issue is a huge waste of money that we just don’t have! What our kids deserve is a competitive education, and that is where any extra money should go," concluded Suriano.
Marta LaLonde is another voter who is against the proposal.
"I think I have always said yes to the schools in the past, even though over the past 40 years I have been very perturbed with the school system," LaLonde.
"The Soo schools have played the “musical schools” game with all five of my kids, changing district lines, closing schools, ….all the way back to McKinley, they claimed it was too costly to upgrade the wiring and such to enter the new computer age and closed it after the PTA had fundraised and got work done that should have handled that. There was very little wrong with that building that would hinder education and it was a full-blown roller coaster from there to now."
One parent of two young children, Kaylenah Dumas is undecided on how she is going to vote.
"As a renter, I feel sorry for my landlord because his taxes will increase on his properties," Dumas said.
"As for investing in our youth, I think it's a great idea. At this point and time, with the buildings in the shape that they are in, plus they are going to utilize the pool area to make space for sports," said Dumas.
Dumas will continue to research the proposal before making her final decision on how to vote.
"I think there are a lot of things that need to be weighed when it comes to this. It would be stupid not to invest in our children's future. It is a significant increase for some people who are really struggling right now, but in the grander scheme of things, we are looking at the future of our children. The children will not continue to grow if we do not invest in them now. They will be the ones running our future. I would rather have them be taken care of now than maybe in the future they will be taking care of us," Dumas continued.
Debbie Jones is voting for the proposal.
"It is a definite yes for the Jones household. I no longer have kids in school, but I will always support (and pay taxes) to provide the best education possible for our youth. I hope everyone will see the benefit to our entire community to give our young people the tools they need to succeed and be the next leaders of our town,' Jones explained on social media.
Amy Scott-Kronemeyer, in her third year as Sault Area Public Schools Superintendent, says the plan for this bond proposal started back in 2021.
"It is traditional for our financial firms to be telling us when we should be looking at a new millage, or what we should be doing in terms of the status of our school system," Scott-Kronemeyer said.
The biggest project, and need, is the K-4 elementary school.
Scott-Kronemeyer says the two current elementary schools are in bad shape.
"We have aging elementary schools that are over 70 years old that are beyond their useful life. The insides of them have the older electrical and plumbing. We looked at what it would cost to upgrade everything to today's code, it just wasn't feasible," Scott-Kronemeyer said.
Scott-Kronemeyer has received many questions from voters.
"What people want, more than anything, is an adequate pool for students to learn how to swim. We take that very seriously. So we started to make partnerships with Lake Superior State University. We are piloting a new program, "Learn to Swim by Grade 4" to make sure all of our 4th grade students learn how to swim. Our school board approved it," added Scott-Kronemeyer.
Scott-Kronemeyer, and Sault Area High School Principal Jeanine Sherman showed the Soo Leader to witness the excessive damage to the pool area, especially underground. The underground infrastructure was crumbling and in disrepair.
"It's a big 'ask'. It is an investment in the future of Sault Ste. Marie. This is our home. This is who we are. We need to invest in the next 30 years, just like what we did with the Middle School back in early 2000. We now need to invest in the next generation. Bringing these elementary schools back together has been a priority for the board to get our K-4 back to the same facility with the other schools on campus," Scott-Kronemeyer concluded.
Scott-Kronemeyer welcomes input from anyone who has questions or concerns.
She says transparency is important with such a huge financial investment in the district.
Scott-Kronemeyer can be reached at 906-632-5653 or by email at [email protected].
