HASTINGS, Mich. — Hastings Area School System voters approved a $24.8 million bond Tuesday to renovate aging high school classrooms, improve school security and replace aging buses, the district announced.
Principal Clayton Powell said many classrooms have not been updated since the building was constructed in the 1970s. He said sound can carry through the old partitions, making it harder for teachers to lead a lesson without disturbing the class next door.
“If you look behind us in some of our classrooms, you'll see these old kind of partitioned walls aren't real conducive to learning,” Powell said in an interview before the vote.
World history teacher Greer Putnam said she has gathered desks and chairs from elsewhere in the building and district and brought her own desk from home. She said some student chairs have holes, and the furniture makes it harder to move between group projects and independent work.
“And when you want to do lesson plans that involve student engagement or group work, these tables and chairs become problematic at that point in time,” Putnam said.
The bond will also pay for upgrades to career and technical education spaces at the high school and middle school. Across the district, the work includes improving secure entrances and replacing public address and fire alarm systems.
Other projects include updating elementary school kitchens and high school restrooms, improving parking and traffic flow, and adding seating at the stadium.
The district said it chose the projects after a facilities study last spring that included input from families, teachers, administrators and support staff. A bond voters approved in 2023 paid for roof work, playground updates and new locker rooms, among other projects. The district said it completed that work slightly under budget.
“A lot of hard work goes into identifying our facility needs and educating our district families about school funding and how bonds fit into that process,” Superintendent Nick Damico said in a statement. “However, the work on our end is just beginning.”
