Holland schools requests $74M bond on May 4 ballot to renovate elementary schools, improve tech
Updated Apr 14, 2021;
Posted Apr 14, 2021
Jefferson Elementary School, pictured in this MLive file photo, would see $6 million in renovations through a $74 million bond proposal that Holland Public Schools is requesting on the May 4 ballot. (MLive file photo)
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HOLLAND, MI – When Holland Public Schools identified $140 million of school renovations in the district’s 2009 master plan, Superintendent Brian Davis couldn’t imagine asking taxpayers to pay for it all amid the ongoing recession.
So the district cut that amount in half, instead only asking taxpayers for $73 million to fund the most immediate needs, which was paid for through a bond proposal approved by voters in the May 2010 election.
HOLLAND Holland Public Schools has a timeline set to select a new superintendent. According to a search timeline posted Monday, April 12, the school board has identified June 1 for final interviews and a possible decision date.
The district has already started the process of gathering input from the community in the form of an online survey and stakeholder meetings.
There are community stakeholder meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, April 14 and 15. A meeting for Spanish-speaking families is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in addition to community meetings at 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday.
Community meetings will take place via Zoom, with links available on the district website. The meetings are being conducted by the Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), the firm hired by the HPS Board of Education to facilitate its search.
Letter: Vote yes for Holland Public Schools bond
By Aaron and Patty Jones
Holland
Dear Holland Community,
Our children attend Holland Public Schools Jefferson Elementary School. We have a fourth-grader, first-grader and a rising kindergartner. We love our school. We love HPS.
That is not why our family will be voting in favor of the HPS Build2021 bond. We will be voting yes to this bond because we believe that all students deserve safe and equitable facilities and education no matter their socioeconomic status, district they live in, or ability to “choose” their school. We believe this bond will allow the facilities of HPS to be safer, more efficient, and updated. In turn, will help the facilities match the outstanding education that Holland Public schools offers. This bond will ensure kids have transportation to school, that the playgrounds double as outdoor learning spaces, and help the schools run more efficiently benefiting the families and staff of HPS.
MAX renewal, school proposals on May 4 ballot
With the May 4 special election less than a month away, absentee voting is already underway. There are no county-wide proposals in Allegan or Ottawa counties, meaning only those with local ballot issues will vote this May.
Local issues will be on the ballot for residents in the city of Holland and Holland Township along with those in the school district boundaries for Holland Public Schools, Zeeland Public Schools and West Ottawa Public Schools.
Macatawa Area Transit millage renewal
Voters in Holland and Holland Township will be asked to renew the Macatawa Area Express (MAX) operating millage for five more years.
Life after COVID: What will school look like post-pandemic?
Local education leaders discuss what long-term affects COVID-19 could have on K-12 education.
Mitchell Boatman, The Holland Sentinel
Published
11:10 am UTC Apr. 8, 2021
The past year of education has been a constant wave of change, adjustments and uncertainty. Students were thrust into remote learning to close the 2019-20 school year due to COVID-19, before having to decide whether or not to return for the 2020-21 school year.
Schools have had to ramp up sanitization efforts in classrooms and buses, provide additional technology for students and find new ways to keep them connected during periods of remote learning.