PARCHMENT, Mich. — Parchment voters will head to the polls this November to decide on a $41 million school bond that would close the middle school, reorganize students across the remaining district buildings, and increase property taxes by roughly $25 a month for most homeowners in the district.
Parchment Public Schools Superintendent Sarah Neumann says the district's aging buildings are expensive to maintain — and that the November bond proposal could solve problems the district faces every day.
"We are looking to consolidate our district footprint," Neumann said.
"We would look at closing two buildings," Neumann said.
The two buildings that would close are the middle school and the Parchment Innovation Center.
If passed, the bond would fund repairs to leaky roofs, classroom upgrades, security improvements, and new playgrounds. Neumann says the middle school is the district's most costly building to keep running. The money would also make sure that buildings have proper boiler repairs to allow for proper heat in the school buildings, Neumann explained.
"Our middle school is our most costly building to maintain. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just in maintenance fees," Neumann said.
Neumann says it has been decades since the buildings received any major renovations.
Under the plan, students would be reorganized across three buildings:
- Northwood Elementary would become a kindergarten through second-grade building and receive $8 million in upgrades.
- North Elementary would become a third through sixth-grade building and receive $17 million in upgrades, including a new gymnasium.
- Seventh and eighth-grade students would move into a new dedicated wing at the high school building at a cost of $14 million.
Watch: Parchment voters to decide on $41 million school bond that would close the middle school
The prospect of middle schoolers and high schoolers sharing a building has raised concern among some parents and students.
Parchment parent Tiffany Sanders says she understands the schools need upgrades.
"I feel like how could you have any comfortability in a school, if it's not together? Or right in there? It's like home. School is like another home. You want to come to home comfortable. So I'm sure you would want to be comfortable when you go to school," Sanders said.
But Sanders and her daughter, Laveah Givhan, say they're apprehensive about middle schoolers and high schoolers being under the same roof. Givhan is a junior at Parchment High School.
"I don't think it's really a good idea. I think they should keep the high schoolers and middle schoolers separate," Givhan said.
Neumann addressed those concerns directly, saying the two groups would be largely kept apart.
"We want to be clear. The 7th and 8th grade project design includes a separate wing, with a separate entrance, and really is largely separated by our athletic facility from the main high school campus," Neumann said.
If the bond passes, a conservative estimate puts the property tax increase at roughly $25 a month for most homeowners in the Parchment School District.
Sanders said she doesn't mind the added expense.
"I don't have a problem in contributing to my kids, my students to be comfortable in school — and putting a little of my tax dollars in that," Sanders said.
I reached out to numerous parents on social media who are against the bond proposal to get their perspective, but did not hear back.
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