School to Move Forward with $8 Million in Projects Without Voter Approval

Security improvements, technology upgrades and a leaking roof at Orion Township’s Blanche Sims Elementary School that forced students to move to another classroom last fall are among the items included in an $8 million capital improvement plan that will begin next year.

Two bond issues have failed, but Lake Orion Schools officials say they can’t be delayed any longer, so the district has arranged its own financing, The Oakland Press reports.

The district plans to spend money from the general fund and begin the 2015 school year with a $2.5 million deficit. Money will come from the sale of energy bonds, which can be issued without voter approval. That will mean the district will have to cut $800,000 from its general fund each year for the next decade.

Voters turned down two bond issues over the past two years. Ginopolis said resulting service cuts “may be very unpleasant” and the decision will have “a huge impact on our operating budget,” but district officials said the needs are so pressing that they can’t be delayed any longer.

The roof repair, security improvements and technology upgrades were selected from a longer list of projects identified as important by district officials. The biggest ticket item is building improvements – $4.5 million – but the district also plans to spend $2.8 million for technology upgrades and $735,000 for security improvements.

“I want to make it clear these are Band-Aid approaches,” Ginopolis said.

“The list should be much longer,” school board member Jim Weidman added. “These are the ones that were at the very top.”

Blanche Sims Elementary School is one of 10 district facilities that will receive roof replacements.

Security improvements, including card reader access and video surveillance, were included at the urging of parents.

“We need to be able to keep our children and school staff as safe as possible during the school day,” said Gina Parry of Orion Township, who has long advocated for security upgrades to enhance school safety. “I am very pleased to learn that the district has plans to secure our schools by September.”

The improvements won’t be as sophisticated as those recommended by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, which completed an analysis. That strategy would have involved moving walls in some of the schools to create more secure lobbies.

In August, voters turned down a $33.2 million for school improvements. School officials haven’t said when – or if – they’ll ask voters to approve another bond issue, or if the present financing scheme can be changed if a bond issue is approved.

Officials are looking at different ways to offset the $800,000 annual  hit to the general fund, including expansion of the Schools of Choice  program, which allows students from neighboring districts to open-enroll and pay tuition.