2015 MISD Bond Review

Posted by Carl Gerhardt 
on Oct 06, 2015
 
On 10/06/2015, Magnolia Rotarian Kelly McDonald, provided an overview of the upcoming 2015 MISD Bond Proposals. Pictured above is Magnolia Rotarian Kelly McDonald.
 
Kelly McDonald started her presentation with a short video that had been created by the 2015 MISD Bond committee. It was a really good video explaining why the bond is needed. In the video, MISD Superintendent Dr. Todd Stephens explains one of the many reasons why he and the MISD School Board have been so successful with the kids going  to our schools. To quote Dr. Stephens, "Put great people in front of the students and then the magic begins".
 
Kelly then explained that the MISD School Board put together a great committee to look into what the bond should include and filled the committee with not only school administrators, but teachers, parents, and interested citizens. The committee took 4 months to come up with the answer after visiting all the schools, reviewed future growth charts (see photo below), listened to inputs from the committee members and other citizens of the area, and decided what they wanted our future school community to look like. The result was two proposals to put before the voters in November 2015. The first proposal was for $84 million and consisted of the following:
 
  • New Magnolia 5th and 6th grade campuses.
  • Renovations to both the Magnolia and Bear Branch Jr. High Schools.
  • Additions to Williams Elementary School.
  • Renovations and additions to Magnolia Elementary School.
  • Priority maintenance to campuses.
  • The purchase of 10 new school buses.
  • The addition of a district wide video security system.
  • Add a technology fiber loop for internet, phones, and HVAC.
The second proposal would build a new 20,000 square foot conference center to:
  • Accommodate a large meetings or banquets, a commercial kitchen, and seating for 1,000.
  • The conference center could by used by any group in the MISD District.
  • The conference facility would be centrally located in the MISD district.
In addition, the second proposal would put Astro Turf on both high school football fields. The benefits of this new turf are:
  • It will save almost $4.83 million a year in watering costs.
  • It will allow other participants such as the band, Junior High athletics, Soccer, NJROTC, and Lacrosse Clubs to make use of the fields.
  • It will decrease injuries to sport players as all playing fields will become standard within the region. In the past, players had to play on both grass fields and Astro Turf fields where the differences could cause a player to tear an ACL or worse. Now the players will practice and play on a standard turf.
Kelly explained that there are two proposals as some in the district are against the usage of Astro Turf and the first Proposal is a must for the MISD School System. Kelly also noted that the total bond package proposal of $92 million will not increase the tax rate. This is possible because the MISD School Board members have been good stewards of the tax dollars they receive and they have seen an 11% revenue increase since the last bond issue over 10 years ago.
 
Kelly asked that everyone go to the polls and vote for the two proposals. For more information, please visit http://www.MISDSchoolBond.com or http://www.facebook.com/MISDSchoolBond.
 
Also, the 2015 Bond Pep Rally will be held on October 13, 2015 at Unity Park (from 4PM to 8PM) where the Charlie Riley Band will provide the music. In addition, both refreshments and giveaways will be available along with lots of great information about the bond proposals.
 
The image of the 2015 Bond Proposal, Pep Rally, and Future Growth Flyers is below. To see the flyers better, right click on the photo and then "Save As" to your computer. Once on your computer the photo can be enlarged for close up viewing.
 
      
 
 
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