VBPS board considers putting Sinking Fund vote on Nov. ballot

At the March 8 regular meeting of the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education, via Zoom, the board discussed putting a Sinking Fund millage question on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The Sinking Fund Plan was last renewed in 2015 and was approved for seven years at 0.4917 mill. It is now set to expire in 2022.
Rob Kakoczki of Plante Moran CRESA said the current Sinking Fund millage brings in about $873,000 a year and that is used for site and building issues throughout the district.
The district has a three-year plan for projects in 2021, 2022, and 2023, but it is only funded for the first two years of the plan. He said the plan doesn’t include emergencies.
He detailed projects totaling $356,000 in 2021, $1,321,500 in 2022, and $2,020,000 in 2023, for a total of $3,697,500.
School Supt. Pete Kudlak said the buildings are aging and the new Belleville High School is now 11 years old. He said the goal is to take care of the buildings for the long run without taking money out of the classrooms.
Supt. Kudlak said the November 2021 election renewal is not technically a renewal since new rules allow the sinking funds to now also be used for technology, land purchases, and possibly buses.
“We’re covered through 2022 and we’ll have one more chance in spring of 2022 if it is not passed in 2021,” Kudlak said.
He said they could have a seven-year extension, as they have in the past, or it could be for ten years. He said they will look at what other schools are doing.
Kudlak urged the board members to talk to their constituents and come back on March 22 for a possible vote.
He showed charts noting Van Buren Public Schools have a sinking fund of 0.4917 mill and bond debt of 2.98 mills and compared to other districts rates 26 out of 32 in taxes.
“We could raise this quite a bit and still be in the lower districts,” Kudlak said.
“This shows what we’re asking is much lower than the majority of the other school districts and we’re still keeping our buildings maintained,” said board president Amy Pearce.
Board vice president Susan Featheringill said Edgemont and Rawsonville schools are 20 years old and are starting to need love and care and maintenance.
“It’s better for it to come out of a sinking fund than the general fund money for our classrooms,” Featheringill said.
Kudlak said all “our mechanicals” have life spans and, “We’ll need more than we’re getting.”
He said at the next meeting they will discuss “where we should set the millage and for how long.”
“Talk to your people,” Kudlak said to board members. “You all have people. That’s how you get elected.” He said Plante Moran will help like they did for the bond issue.
“We all know better schools bring better property values for everyone,” said treasurer Simone Pinter.
Kudlak said Plante Moran gave talking points for the bond issue and that was very helpful to have a common message.
Kakoczki said by August they have to have the ballot wording to the clerk and August is going to come up quickly.
“At the next meeting I’ll have a recommendation and we can nail down what you want to do,” Kudlak said. “It would be nice to have that decided by the end of March.”
Secretary Darlene Gerick noted that this new millage wouldn’t start until the end of 2023.
Also at the March 8 regular meeting, the board:
• Informally agreed to have the next board meeting on March 22 as an in-person meeting, if all the details can be worked out. New state guidelines allow 25 individuals at a meeting, but there is another guideline for entertainment areas for 50% and the BHS Commons might be considered an entertainment area. Then, there is the auditorium or the mini auditorium. “We’re looking for clarification,” Kudlak said, noting the goal has been for them to meet in person;
• Approved the resignation of Devin McCafferty, a non-instructional staff member at Belleville High School, with less than one year of service as of March 5 for a job opportunity;
• Approved employing the follow non-instructional staff members: Jessica Kaba as part-time secretary at Rawsonville Elementary, as of Feb. 22; Shahna Currie as guidance counselor at BHS as of March 15; and Kyle Price for maintenance in Plant Operations as of March 15; and
• Discussed the Extended COVID-19 Learning Plan as required by the state every 30 days. They also reconfirmed how instruction will be delivered for each grade level during the 2020-21 school year as either in-person or remote learning. Kudlak said the district has been offering in-person learning right along. Director of Instruction Jeff Moore stated the figures in his report for the two-way interaction between teachers and students were for January and they should have been for February, but its been 96 to 97% right along. He said he will check his figures;
• Heard Karen Johnston, director of special services, ask for help with getting transportation for special education and homeless students living elsewhere, who are transported individually. She said they had transported using a cab but the company they used is unable to get drivers. She said they did not want to use Uber or Lift because they want to know who the driver is every day. President Pearce suggested checking with Metro Cars at the airport, since there is not so much airport traffic now;
• Heard Director Moore report that he and Jim Williams, director of plant operations, are looking into special building space for a STEM Learning Lab for K-8. “We are doing some visioning on what kind of place that should be,” Moore said. He said they will keep meeting and then go to the architect to help design those spaces;
• Heard Director Williams report he is updating the work orders system and the roof is on the two south sections of the Early Childhood Development Center construction. He said concrete will come in the next week or so and more roofing is coming shortly;
• Heard Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun report that a lot of the staff is receiving hazard pay from the state. The district was the middle man and collected applications from the staff and uploaded them to the state in November and December. “We are being inundated with calls from the staff asking ‘Where’s my check?’” he said. “That’s been my life for the last few days,” he said, adding he has been trying to verify applications; and
• Went into closed-door session to consider pending litigation and took no action after going back into regular session only to adjourn.