On Tuesday, Feb. 24, voters in the Oxford school district will trek to the polls to either approve or reject a $70.135 million bond proposal, which could add 91,148 square feet to existing facilities and 10 more years worth of property taxes.
Overall, the bond proposal touches virtually every aspect of the district from constructing new classrooms and remodeling/renovating existing ones to upgrading technology and buildings? mechanical systems to adding athletics and fine arts facilities.
‘It needs to pass not only because of our current needs, but also for our future needs,? said Superintendent Dr. William Skilling. ‘It isn’t just about capacity needs at the elementary (level). It’s about providing and equipping our kids with essential knowledge and skills that would otherwise be difficult to deliver without the passage of this bond.?
Skilling envisions using this bond money to help create ?21st century? schools in Oxford. This is accomplished not through ‘brick and mortar,? but through teachers and the tools their given.
‘A 21st century teacher is a master teacher who knows what to teach and has the tools to be able to teach it,? he explained. ‘There are certain things that we cannot deliver or do well without the technology. A big portion of this bond, almost 13 percent (nearly $9 million), is in the instructional technology we put in the classroom to assist teachers and students.?
If the bond passes, every classroom in the district will have a new computer, printer, interactive whiteboard, document camera, display device, phone and sound system.
Financial impact on taxpayers, local economy
If the bond is approved, property owners will continue to pay the 7 mills per year they currently do, but instead of seeing the district’s bond debt paid off in 2031, they will be required to pay an extra 10 years to retire it in 2041. A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
Property owners will not see their 7-mill tax decrease in 2024 as expected if this bond is approved.
Right now, according to Tim Loock, assistant superintendent of business and operations, if the bond fails, property owners could see the debt tax fall below 4 mills in 2024.
However, if the bond passes, the tax will remain at 7 mills until 2037, when it will begin to decrease until the debt’s paid off in 2041.
Currently, the school district owes $154.7 million in principal and interest from existing debt.
If this $70.135 million bond (plus $158.2 million in interest) is approved, the district will owe a combined total of $383 million in principal and interest to be paid over the next 32 years
Proponents argue passing this in the current economic climate will result in a lower interest rate on the bonds and lower costs for labor and materials due to competitive bidding.
Waiting to pass a bond could cost taxpayers more money to do the same work due to higher interest rates and construction costs, according to the pro-bond website www.oxford2009.com.
Proponents argue the bond will help the local economy by attracting new businesses and eventually increasing property values because good schools generally bring new families.
Because Granger Construction, the Lansing-based company that would oversee the project, has committed to awarding 80 percent of the bids to contractors within a 25-mile radius, proponents argue the bond will provide local jobs.
During peak construction, Oxford could expect to have somewhere between 200 and 300 workers here each day, potentially purchasing goods and services from local businesses, according to Skilling.
The elementaries
A majority of the bond’s focus is on the five elementary schools and the middle school, which combined amount to $63.57 million of the proposal.
Right now, enrollment at Oxford’s elementary schools exceeds student capacity, leaving no room for future growth.
Even without future growth, the state-mandated all-day, everyday kindergarten the district recently approved to start this fall requires a minimum of six new classrooms just to support the current enrollment, according to Skilling.
In order to free up needed capacity for current and future enrollment at the elementaries, passage of the bond would allow the district to move all the fifth-graders to the middle school, which will be physically reconstructed into two separate facilities ? an intermediate school for grades 5/6 and middle school for grades 7/8.
School officials also plan to gain additional capacity at the elementary level by remodeling existing space and adding new classrooms.
At Clear Lake, the plan is to add 7,263 square feet in classrooms at a cost of $1.3 million. This will help increase the school’s capacity from the current 375 to 500 students.
OES will see 7,800 square feet worth of new classroom space for $1.4 million. This will help increase the school’s student capacity from the current 300 to 450.
The plan is to move all the second-graders from Daniel Axford over to OES.
All this is being proposed as an alternative to constructing and equipping a brand new elementary school, which according to Skilling, could cost about $20 million to build one between 65,000 and 75,000 square feet in size with a 500-student capacity.
Operating it would cost $2 per square foot for utilities and that doesn’t include instructional costs such as teachers, parapros and administrators, according to Skilling.
That’s why Oxford decided to utilize the unused capacity at the middle school.
‘What enabled us to not build a new elementary was to make use of the middle school,? Skilling said. ‘If we didn’t make use of the middle school, we would be building an elementary.?
Renovations to improve each elementary school’s energy-efficiency would also take place with bond dollars. Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and electrical systems would be upgraded, while roofs, windows, water lines and lighting would be replaced.
Bond proponents argue Oxford’s elementary schools, which range from 39 to 81 years old, ‘are now showing their age? and need fixing up, according to www.oxford2009.com.
However, it should be noted each school has undergone more recent remodeling since it was built. Daniel Axford and Clear Lake both underwent remodeling in 1998, Lakeville 1997, Leonard in 1957 and 2002, and Oxford Elementary in 1995 and 1997.
‘It doesn’t necessarily mean the whole building was touched,? explained Skilling, noting ‘if any part of it was remodeled,? the year must be recorded on the district’s bond application to the state.
‘At DA, for example, they put an addition on, but they really didn’t do much in the way of remodeling the building. A lot it was more cosmetic like painting, stuff like that.?
Dedicated art and music rooms would be constructed at Oxford, Clear Lake, Leonard and Lakeville elementaries as part of this bond issue. Skilling stressed how important teaching fine arts is to modern education and future success.
‘I can’t overemphasize or talk enough about the importance of developing right-brain skills,? he said. ‘Those right-brain skills are as equally important today as left-brain skills, which has never been the case historically.?
The right side of the brain controls the creative, imaginative thinking involved in art and music, while the left side is the analytical, logical portion that engages in things like math and problem-solving.
‘We are now in what we call the conceptualization age. We are no longer in the informational age,? Skilling explained. ‘The conceptualization age is an age in which people have the combined capacity to integrate right-brain and left-brain skills to create and invent new work to solve age-old problems.?
Skilling said a lot of the curriculum changes being made in the district require both right and left-brain skills, so that ‘kids can become productive thinkers.?
‘When I was in school, (studying the) arts was basically just for well-roundedness. Nobody ever pushed it as something essential or important to your livelihood.?
Today, having a background in the arts gives students a definite edge when it comes to applying at engineering schools, Skilling noted. ‘That’s a fundamental change.?
On the physical education side, Leonard Elementary is proposed to have a brand-new gym constructed. Right now, the cafeteria doubles as the gym.
To make way for the gym, the old section of the school, which used to be a high school, would be demolished.
The cost of Leonard’s new gym, plus new art and music rooms, is a combined $2.05 million.
All the elementary schools, with the exception of Daniel Axford, would have new outdoor signs installed at a total cost of $80,000.
‘All the buildings are going to have standardized signage,? Skilling said. ‘They’re going to be electronic signs (capable of displaying multiple messages).?
The intermediate/middle school
The bond proposal will allow the current middle school to be transformed into two physically separate schools under one roof.
Grades 5/6 would adhere to an elementary-style education, while grades 7/8 would keep to a middle school schedule.
Bond proponents argue its more ‘developmentally appropriate? to teach the groups in this manner. ‘Based on all the research, taking sixth-grade and teaching them more like elementary students is the better way to go versus the middle school (approach),? Skilling said.
To help keep the two groups separated, each will have its own entrance to the school and main office constructed at a cost of $1.46 million.
A separate gym and cafeteria would be constructed for grades 5/6 at a total cost of $4.86 million.
For the seventh and eighth-graders new band, orchestra and choir rooms, totalling 7,500-square-feet, would be constructed at a cost of $1.35 million.
Over at the high school
Inside OHS, a 3,000-square-foot, $540,000 addition is proposed to support the new pre-engineering program, vocational education classes like welding and the robotics team.
‘We don’t have a space that we can just take from the existing square-footage of the high school and use to teach this type of curriculum,? Skilling said. ‘It takes a very specialized space where you have water, air and gas available.?
In this area, where math, science and technology will be part of an integrated curriculum, students will be able to learn and engage in everything from metal fabrication to biotechnology to nano-technology.
‘It’s a real flexible space,? Skilling said.
Right now, Skilling said the robotics team has to build their robots for competition off-site. This addition will give them the space and tools to work at school.
‘Robotics is going to become part of the curriculum,? the superintendent said.
Outside OHS, a 3,000-square-foot, $600,000 fieldhouse at the football stadium is proposed. The building would be utilized by the football, track, lacrosse and soccer teams as well as the marching band.
Four brand new tennis courts would be constructed for $160,000.
The football stadium would be converted from natural grass to synthetic turf at cost of $750,000. Bond proponents argue the district would save on maintenance costs such as mowing, watering and fertilizing.
Companies who manufacture synthetic turf estimate their product has a life-span of 10-12 years before it needs to be replaced.
Synthetic turf is also more user-friendly than grass, proponents say, so it’s proposed to be used as the home field for football, lacrosse and soccer, not to mention marching band practice and competitions.
Safety and security
Every school in the district would have an identifiable, safe and secure main entrance constructed, if this bond is approved.
All buildings would have a main office inside the front door, so everyone who enters could be monitored and required to sign in.
Security cameras would be installed at every school, while OHS and OMS would have ‘lock-down? capabilities in the event of an emergency. The fire alarm system will be updated in all buildings and new parking lot lighting will be installed at most schools.
Transportation
Three new school buses would be purchased for $80,000 a piece.
A 1,200-square-foot meeting room would be added to the bus garage at a cost of $132,000, while the facility’s restrooms would be remodeled for $100,000.
Included with the transportation portion of the bond budget is an additional $100,000 for land acquisition.
Skilling noted this amount was listed under transportation strictly for accounting purposes only. The money could be put toward any land the district may purchase for any purpose, he explained.
‘We’re going to try to purchase some land in the next couple years,? the superintendent said. ‘We’re looking at using a combination of potential bond dollars plus monies we have set aside.?
‘We don’t have any need for land today. That’s for future growth.?

Where’s the money going?
Oxford Middle School………………………….$23,671,128
Clear Lake Elementary………………………..$12,027,021
Lakeville Elementary…………………………..$9,548,323
Oxford Elementary……………………………..$9,523,812
Leonard Elementary…………………………….$7,739,533
Oxford High School…………………………….$6,975,388
Daniel Axford…………………………………..$1,062,724
Transportation……………………………………$969,404

Total……………………………………………$71,517,335
Estimated interest earning……………………..?$1,382,335
Proposed bond issue……………………………$70,135,000