COLDWATER, MI — Coldwater Community Schools Superintendent Paul Flynn presented the district’s $64 million, 30-year bond proposal, which goes to voters May 5, to the Branch County Democrats on Feb. 19.
The 1.5-mill tax increase would cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $150 a year, Flynn said.
After two failed attempts, most recently in 2022, the school board is asking voters to approve a third—and more costly—plan to fix the 70-year-old high school.
Coldwater High School has not had major renovations since a $12.6 million bond in 1994.
Flynn, hired in July 2023, says the community can no longer ignore the high school’s failing facilities.
Key elements include:
Flynn replaced the architect’s first plan. He launched a new process based on a facility study, staff and student input, a community bond committee, and then the architect’s design concepts.
The plan demolishes the oldest section and addresses long-standing issues, including leaking roofs, a lack of air conditioning, and non-ADA-compliant classrooms.
The 2021 plan included an auditorium, which became controversial.
Flynn says the district will continue using the Tibbits Opera House rather than building an auditorium.
The superintendent framed the project as a “newer, healthier, more flexible” learning environment—and a decision on whether Coldwater is ready to invest in its teens as it has in its youngest students.
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater schools ask voters for $64 million bond to renovate high school
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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