Live Blog: Bloomfield School Bond Passes With 61 Percent of Vote
Supporters of the school bond gather to celebrate the passage and look forward; in Bloomfield Hills, Dul and McClure win commission seats.
Photos
Patch has been reporting live on today's voting all day, and has complete results from the Oakland County Elections Office.. Stay tuned for reaction on the outcome of the election.
10:45 p.m.: More than 200 people gathered at Ultimate Soccer in Pontiac for the One Bloomfield United celebration after the school bond proposal passed with 61 percent of the vote. Schools Superintendent Rob Glass said a few words, and Brandon Kaufman, spokesman for OBU, said, "The result of this vote clearly shows that the trust between the district and the community has been restored, and with the new school leadership it will remain."
One Bloomfield United is the grassroots community group formed last year that supports the Bloomfield Hills Schools' initiative to merge Andover and Lahser high schools on one campus.
9:33 p.m.: With all precincts reporting, the school bond proposal passed by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin. In the Bloomfield Hills City Commission race, Michael Dul and Sarah McClure each captured more than 25 percent of the vote to win seats.
8:45 p.m.: Parents at the Bloomfield Hills Middle School concert at Andover High School reacted to news of the bond passage with relief. “This is the end of eight years of contentiousness," said Beth Sinclair, track coach for Andover High School and the parent of an eighth-grader who will be affected by the school consolidation.
Caryn Bittker, who has two daughters at West Hills Middle School, said the vote is a relief. “We would have been personally better off if it passed," Bittker said. "If not, we would have been considering private high schools for the girls in middle school.”
7:30 p.m.: The requirements of civic duty and motherhood met at an intersection for May Jia of Bloomfield Hills, 30 minutes before the polls closed at Andover High School as the mother of two sons in Bloomfield Hills schools voted at Precinct No. 5 before walking about 50 yards to see the West Hills Middle School 6-8 grade band and orchestra spring concert.
"I've always been a 'yes' vote," said Jia, who has an eighth-grader and a third-grader at Lone Pine Elementary School. "I prefer smaller schools, but I think the boys will benefit from new technology and with the expected population decrease in the future, it's a no brainer ... I'm optimistic this will pass."
7 p.m.: Polls close in an hour. Any last minute tips to get voters out?
6:25 p.m.: Precincts 22 and 5 reported a "dinner rush" for those eager to cast ballots after a "slow start" to the day. Jim Healy at Precinct No. 5 at Andover said that 142 had cast their ballots by the dinner hour – and that turnout was on the light side, based on his perspective of working as a poll worker for the past five years.
Precinct No. 22, at the Central Fire Station just nearby, had reported 164 voters.
4:45 p.m.: Joined by her son and daughter as well as a host of others from Cub Scout Pack 1039 based in West Bloomfield, Gwen Schultz-Ofiara ruminated on her "yes" vote, filed earlier this morning at West Hills Middle School.
"I think we'll lose people to Birmingham schools if this doesn't pass and I've already heard talk of that," said Schultz-Ofiara, who workers as a local real estate broker. "We've been 'yes' voters since the beginning of the campaign ... it's crucial to our home values and the quality of our education, because those are tied hand-in-hand."
Cub Scouts cheered at the corner of Lone Pine and Middlebelt roads as school let out with plans to do so until dinner time tonight.
3:15 p.m.: West Bloomfield Township Clerk Catherine Shaughnessy said that as of Monday night, 907 absentee ballots have been returned out of 1,008 mailed out. There are no problems at the polls keeping voters from voting, she said, at any of West Bloomfield's four precincts.
2:30 p.m.: This slick, glossy mailer (see attached PDF) received by many residents in the district yesterday has rankled some ardent supporters of the school bond millage.
Sure, it hits all the points that bond opponents have argued for months:
- Make repairs and maintain buildings with already-approved taxpayer dollars
- Accruing more debt with a budget deficit looming is bad business.
- The preference to preserving small schools.
But what's upsetting people is who's doing the talking. The mailer is sponsored by the Michigan Chapter of Americans for Prosperity and authorized by Bloomfield Vice, an organization started by students that are opposed to the ballot proposal. Americans for Prosperity is a national organization tied to the Tea Party movement and funded by Kansas billionaires Charles and David Koch.
"It's just unfortunate that billionaires from out of state that know nothing about the local issue can dump money into this election at the last minute," said bond supporter Charles Gaba as he waved a 'Yes' sign at motorists driving by Way Elementary School Tuesday afternoon.
George Blichar, a spokesperson for the AFP-Michigan, made no apologies and said it's wrong to view the mailer as an intrusion.
"Our focus has always been about limited government and we want to get involved in things where we see waste involved," he said Tuesday from the organization's office in Lansing. "Right now the district is basically asking for more, more, more and we're only informing people on what's going on."
Blichar said the office has received calls from residents about the mailer and said the majority of them were very concerned about today's vote.
The cost of the mailer is unknown at this time.
1:40 p.m.: Bloomfield Township Clerk Jan Roncelli projects today's turnout at about 30 percent. Roughly 32 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the Feb. 28 presidential primary.
"I'm hoping for more than 30 percent," she said. "With this issue being so much more relevent to the local community you would hope more people turnout."
12:30 p.m.: Sun continues to shine on this picture-perfect day for an election. Partly sunny skies to continue throughout the day, with temperatures approaching 70-72 degrees this afternoon. Looks like you'll need another excuse if you're not going to vote.
12:10 p.m.: The Bloomfield Township Clerk's office reports 3,555 absentee ballots have been returned so far. The office distributed 4,062.
11:15 a.m.: The Bloomfield Hills City Clerk's office reports more than 400 absentee ballots have been returned so far today. Nearly 600 in all were sent out to voters.
9:20 a.m.: Seventy-two voters have already cast ballots at Precinct 1 at the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety, officials said. Three candidates for city commission: Mayor Pro-Tem Sarah McClure, Commissioner Connie Salloum and first-time candidate John Monaghan are in the parking lot greeting voters.
7:10 a.m.: Eight voters had already gone through at Precinct 4, where six poll workers, including Mike Shea, precinct supervisor, who has worked at "about 30 elections."
6:58 a.m.: Precinct 4 at Model High School in Bloomfield Township wasn't open yet, but Roy Fanning was there inquiring about why the American flag wasn't flying. "I'm here to make sure the American flag gets put up on Election Day," the Bloomfield Township resident said. By 7:10 a.m., the flag was still not flying, but Fanning has raised the question.
Did you vote? Was your precinct busy? What voter were you and what time? Let us know in comments.
In This article
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Bloomfield Hills Andover High School
4200 Andover Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI -
Bloomfield Township Fire Department
4200 Telegraph Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI -
West Hills Middle School
2601 Lone Pine Rd, West Bloomfield, MI -
Chris Xiromeritis
8:35 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Voter #15 at Precinct 17 at about 7:15 this morning :)
Howard Baron
10:38 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Voter #1 at Precinct #1 at 7:00 am this morning. ;)
BHSDistrictParent
8:46 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
For further discussion of the bond issue please see the following independent web site: www.bhsforum.org
Ann
12:06 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Independent, in that Chris Fellin runs it and most comments are anonymous.
Charles Gaba
8:50 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Get the facts at: http://onebloomfieldunited.com
Vote YES this time!
Jennifer F
9:03 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
VOTE YES!!!
Neal Charness
9:13 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Vote YES for the kids!!!!
BHSDistrictParent
9:18 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
NO reason to change from "NO". Andover, by default, in 2013, will house consolidated grades 10-12, and Lahser will hold consolidated grade 9 plus Model High School. That plan does not require the payment of more bond interest than money saved, and is a plan that makes sense...
Ann
12:08 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
But costs over $30 million just to come up to code, leaves excess capacity, and makes no improvements to the current spaces.
Vote Yes for facilities that will support quality education in Bloomfield.
Shira Good
9:30 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
If you're looking for factual information, not an opinion, please visit: www.bloomfield.org.
BHSDistrictParent
9:51 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
For one-sided "factual information" go to the district's self-maintained web site or the sites maintained by OBU or Bloomfield 20/20. For both sides of the issue, and open discussion, go to the public forum at: www.bhsforum.org
Ken Jackson
10:04 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Ms. Good,
It certainly makes sense to me to go to the people who will be running the schools and teaching the kids to see what they have to say.
Paul Stenquist
10:19 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Voting for a tax increase results in a tax increase. It works every time. Don't fall for voodoo economics double talk. Vote no.
Ken Jackson
10:25 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Stenquist,
How refreshing! That strikes me as a completely honest and clear statement on why a no voter would vote no. They see a potential tax increase. I just voted YES.
Neal Charness
3:11 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Stenquist tried to convince us he didn't know what his taxes were. Hmmm, I don't think so.
M. Belden
10:35 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
And no taxes results in no public education results in no property sales...works every time. Vote YES.
Ann
3:00 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Vote yes.
It is demonstrably false that school district does not affect property value. All of us could have gotten the same square footage for less money in a lesser school district. In neighborhoods where some houses are in Bloomfield schools and others in West Bloomfield or Pontiac, you can see the school district line as you walk by. You can certainly see it if you map property sale prices on each side of the line.
Patty
10:50 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Important note - BHSDistrictParent does NOT represent the views of all BHS district parents. I VOTED YES - for our kids and the future of our community.
Paul Stenquist
11:26 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Jackson,
My comment in regard to taxes is merely meant to counter misleading statements that have been made by proponents of the bond issue. I have many other reservations in regard to the new construction. For one, it has been conclusively demonstrated that low-enrollment schools outperform high-enrollment schools. Second, in addition to the money raised by the bond, the district will have to use all of its cash on hand to complete the school, rendering it nearly bankrupt. There are problems with this proposal on every level. If the current schools, which are not as old as those in Birmingham, had been properly maintained, we wouldn't be facing this dilemna. I see no reason to reward the board's malfeasance.
Ken Jackson
11:50 am on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Stenquist,
The May 8th ballot is not about keeping two high schools (whether one wants it to be or not -- I would certainly prefer two small high schools if possible); it is about how to move forward with the consolidation of the two schools. In your very response you imply otherwise, suggest something else is on the ballot. On bankruptcy: you have evidence that "bankruptcy" in BHS is looming? How are you using the term in this context? BHS is considering going into some kind of public school "bankruptcy." And, finally, if you feel previous boards or administrations have mishandled matters (in the case of the Gaynor administration, I agree, ), your no vote would then be a protest vote of some kind against administrators now retired. That doesn't help much does it? I simply can't see this important issue as a matter of "rewarding" or "punishing" any board member, administrator (past or present), or teacher. But, again, I appreciate the clarity on the tax issue.
Howard Baron
12:22 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Stenquist, for a man that has been following this issue for months, I am amazed that on this election day, you are misstating the facts. The $20 mil. down that is assumed in the Yes vote has been saved over decades and will not impact the General Fund. It will be spent on the HS's no matter whether the vote is Yes or No. The district will still have a hefty fund balance to confront the deficits that are forecasted for the next 5 years. While extremely unlikely, bankruptcy is possible unless fiscal changes are made by the BOE and the administration starting next year.
Howard Baron
12:37 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Stemquist, remember that Bimingham has. $250 mil. debt that the taxpayers are responsible for and paying for annually out of their taxes, far exceeding anything that BHS will have. And after spending that all of that money, the classrooms still function no differently than when they were built decades ago. The current BHS plan is a better way of handing this same situation.
Howard Baron
2:25 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
CK, I stand corrected. Current outstanding balance - $213 mil. Original issue value - $229 mil. And you are correct that they are 50% larger than BHS. That being said, it is still a much greater amount of spending than BHS is planning.
Emily Eichenhorn
2:38 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Mr. Jackson, I'd add that, not only should this not be about rewarding or punishing administrators or board trustees, but most importantly, it should not be about punishing the children. People who are voting NO because they are mad at the prior superintendent or board members, or because they don't want to "reward the board's malfeasance" as Mr. Stenquist said, are like parents in a nasty divorce using child custody issues as a way to punish their former spouse. The ones who suffer the most are the innocent kids.
I can understand if you have felt betrayed or hurt or frustrated over past actions. It is no fun when your ideas aren't adopted or you're thrown for a loop. And you can protest to those who hurt you or didn't listen. But don't take actions that will ultimately hurt the children just to satisfy some petulant itch on your part.
Yes, our kids should have had this resolved years ago. Yes, it is disruptive to live through a remodelling (trust me, I've lived through having my entire first floor remodelled about 7 years ago), but that's no reason not to give your kids a better place to live and learn.
Patty
1:10 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Charles K - I am stating MY view as a BHS district parent - I too have kids that will be directly impacted by this consolidation as well as they were when their elementary school closed - they are in one piece and both want to go to school in a new building when they get to high school.
Linda P
10:29 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Kids always want the latest toy don't they Patty...that's why they have parents to tell them No when warranted. That is why I have voted NO.
Timothy
1:20 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
so, whybis everyone arguing if everyone one this thread has voted.
AJ
1:49 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
What happens to Lahser if the plan passes?
Shira Good
2:13 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
AJ - No plans have been set in stone for Lahser, if the bond passes. Rob Glass has been very involved with the community and would like their input on Lahser's fate. There are a lot of options for the building and site and it's not something that can be planned now, long before the building would be able to be used for anything other than a school.
Alexandrea Franklin
4:39 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Chris, Are you willing to fund it? I don't think that idea will fly with the majority of district voters?
Linda P
10:31 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
I think it should be a large group home site.
Bloomfield Student
3:01 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Charles K,
How many of you work in an office space designed for 1965? Bloomfield and Pontiac are the only districts within Oakland County that haven't updated their high schools in 40 years. Young families will not move into our city. This will negatively impact your values - supply and demand 101. Birmingham has invested over $160 million dollars into their schools. Where would you choose to live - a community that invests in their education and has state of the art facilities or a community that is fighting over whether to conservatively update delapidated schools? Seems clear to me.
S Sera
5:40 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Charles K--- I guess those kids who actually earn the right to play varsity will be playing varsity. Rather like those people who actually get into the Julliard. They work hard, audition and wait to hear if they've been admitted. You are either good enough or you aren't. As for those that don't make varsity there are other opportunities to be athletic. They are called Intramural Sports. Or hey get this one….maybe they will spend the time studying or doing community service, or…..
I applaud the "Bloomfield Student" for speaking up on this forum. He did listen in his Econ class. He can probably also fill a few of the readers in on the equilibrium point of supply and demand and what happens to cash cows through time.
Chris Xiromeritis
6:08 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Charles K, what about the varsity programs that don't exist today because there are too FEW students to fill a team at either school? That argument cuts both ways.
As far as older buildings being suitable, I agree, they CAN be. And they CAN be upgraded with the latest technology. But at what cost? If I were to spend $30M just to update mechanical systems and bring things up to 'code' and not affect aesthetics, layout and structural overhead, isn't that a waste of money??? At some point, a building can become functionally obsolete. It is not just a matter of putting in new windows, floors and lockers. They don't FUNCTION well for the current methods of teaching. It is no different than the old auto plants - Packard, Fisher Body, Highland Park - the physical buildings weren't obsolete; they just didn't work for the modern assembly line. The Silverdome is also an example of functional obsolescence. Most of Andover falls into this category. The sections that CAN function will be retained. The rest will be bulldozed and rebuilt because it is CHEAPER and FASTER than renovating and will be more FUNCTIONAL than what is there currently.
Neal Charness
3:14 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Any chance searching the ip address on Charles K might match a previous poster opposing the bond issue? It's fine to be against it but all of a sudden there's Charles K and BHSDistrictParent. Smelling a lot like fish here.
Ken Jackson
3:35 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Charles K,
My primary full time job -- I imagine you have a comparable one -- is watching out what I think is in the best interest of my kids. When I see posts that misrepresent the Ballot issue (by the way, I spoke to at least 5 senior citizens today who believed the vote was about keeping 2 schools instead of building a "mega" school) I respond or that engages in some odd reasoning. It takes about 45 seconds per hour. 15 seconds of that are checking what I write in anger or frustration to people who merely disagree with me on a political issue.
Alexandrea Franklin
4:40 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Neal, It's Chris Fellin. No question.
Endre Lamagachi
4:38 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Please vote YES, or a problem with school taxes and adoption will force me to send my three year old daughter back to Cambodia! I love her so much and she has faced rape and abuse there! Please vote YES!
Neal Charness
5:37 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Chris you're being hypersensitive here. I never said it was you nor do I think so. Whatever your issues you haven't hidden your identity.
Curt
6:21 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
If the current board can't operate under the budget maybe the board should be recalled and replaced with members who can be fiscally responsible. Why do they keep spending so much then want to cut pay of there teachers who are in front of or kids.
Alexandrea Franklin
8:12 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Curt, That sure worked well last time, didn't it big guy? Do you have any better ideas in your play book?
Alexandrea Franklin
8:21 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Chris, What happened to the "thick skin" you were so proud of? I notice you did not deny putting that "No" sign on the lawn of a School Board Trustee's mother. Trespassing and picking on the elderly and defenseless. What a leader!
R Gibson
8:52 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Well, the polls have closed and hopefully we can move on. Regardless of the outcome, there has been an overwhelming amount of anger, bigotry, and outrageous accusations. Like so many things in our society, this whole discussion has devolved into a bitter and hateful mess. Personally, I would encourage Art to shut down the comments section. All you have to do is look at what is said here and realize we have done nothing but savage ourselves and our neighborhood. We should all be ashamed of ourselves for how we have treated eachother.
Frank Laurinec
10:11 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Community,
It's 9:52 pm and the Oakland County Elections Commission has reported 30 out of 30 Bloomfield Hills precincts reporting. The results? 61% YES, 39% NO. The community has spoken.
I'd like to ask that all community members, Yes and No voters, One Bloomfield United and Bloomfield 2020, and all of those community members who don't have children in the public schools, retirees, and private school parents to unite behind the decision of the community and now help us make this transition as smooth and easy as possible.
Part 1
Frank Laurinec
10:12 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Part 2
We will now face new challenges and we need your help to be successful. First of all, can you now refocus your energies to making this decision of the community happen? Can you no longer shout at each other, but reach a hand out to each other so that we can build a support system to make sure that the transition goes smoothly? Can you put aside your adult perspective for a moment and see how this bitterness hurts your children? Children, especially young adults, take what their parents say to heart. Even if you didn't support the bond proposal, can you now, for the sake of ALL of the children of the district, help us implement the transition plan so as to make sure that ALL students continue to benefit from the quality education that they will continue to receive from all of the staff of the district? We need your help, influence, ideas, and support. Please, for the sake of all of OUR children, let's come together. Thanks
Frank Laurinec, Jr., President
Bloomfield Hills Education Association
J Arch
2:54 am on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Actually Chris, now that the decision has been made, I believe the period of greatest distraction is now over. The effort by the administration to engage the community on this issue was substantial, composed not only of overseeing the school design process, but also conducting the transition planning necessary to be ready to consolidate the high schools. Moving forward is now about execution. With certainty in place, focus on education can be restored. That being said, I have supreme confidence that the administration and the staff will maintain their high level of engagement with the community to assure that the promises made during the process are lived up to. The District is once again in position to do great things for its kids.
Jeff Wagner
Linda P
11:13 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Detroit just built a state of the art K through 8 school for 28 million bucks including media centers, labs, auditoriums, outdoor spaces .....looks like the Motor City beat the Bloomfields on efficiently spent dollars. No doubt the yes crowd will find something to criticize about saving money!!
J Arch
6:23 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Hi Linda, totally an apples to oranges comparison. The project you cite is for a building with 1/3 the square footage and is an elementary/middle school, not a high school.
J. Wagner