OPINION: BHS High School Bond to Maintain Excellence and Property Values
"How are the schools?" Was our first question upon moving to the district.
When we were deciding to move to the Bloomfield Hills district 20 years ago, our first question was "How are the schools?" The answer then was "Excellent!" Our two children both got a high quality education here, with broad academic choices including AP classes, small class sizes, and a wonderful music program. Our last child is graduating this year, and all the children in the district deserve this same superb education.
The high school renovation planned with the BH school bond will enable the excellence of the academic programs to continue, even in the face of shrinking school funding and enrollment. A single renovated building will reduce the cost of maintaining two old, degrading buildings and allow efficiencies that will save money for programs every year. And with the existing bond that is being retired, our taxes will not go up.
We're voting "YES" as an investment in our kids, our community, and our future property values.
Joyce Breitman,
West Bloomfield
In This article
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Bloomfield Hills School District Central Administration Office
7273 Wing Lake Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Amy Cardin
8:14 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Joyce, we had a very similar experience when we moved here almost 18 years ago. Both our girls got an amazing education all the way from Kindergarten to High School. I will also be voting YES on May 8 to bring a high school facility to our district that will serve the future generations of BHS students and will help our property values in the process. Thanks for your support!
Linda P
8:10 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Anyone who thinks rising taxes improves home values is delusional.
L Luttinen
1:09 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Another misleading opinion headline from the YES propaganda machine. Since there hasn't been any decline in the excellent education in BHSD the last 10 years (when shiny & new was voted down), there won't be any decline when it is voted down this time. Since property values did not go down in the last 10 years when shiny & new was voted down, they won't go down because of a NO vote this time either. The converse holds also-it is NOT true that voting yes will improve your property values or improve academic performance.
The most important thing we can do is vote NO to $60MM in new debt and get a handle on the operating budget deficits predicted by the Board that are looming-spending more wisely the funds we have (both maintenance and operations) and taking advantage of incentives provided by the State and Federal governments to increase revenue. 75% of MI school districts are particpating in these programs, but not BHSD-the admin and staff (MEA) won't do it.
Voting NO will make more extracurriculars available for students, yes will be less.
Voting NO will keep more qualified teachers, yes will not.
Voting NO will make the Board come up with a better plan, yes will not.
Voting NO will strengthen the BHSD balance sheet, yes will not.
Voting NO will make BHSD better maintain assets for use or sale, yes will not.
Votine NO will make BHSD utilize State & Federal revenue incentive programs, yes will not.
This is why my wife and I will be voting NO on May 8
Emily Eichenhorn
10:40 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012
"Voting No will make the Board come up with a better plan..."
That's exactly what they've done: they've re-examined, re-developed, reconfigured the entire plan in response to prior NO votes. You've gotten what you asked for: so now you should vote YES. But it seems like you and other NO voters have just gotten stuck saying no over and over. There's a point where you have to acknowledge that people have listened and accept victory graciously.
Howard Baron
1:55 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Mr Luttinen, can you tell me specifically which federal and state incentive programs you are referring to? I would like to talk to the administration about what the facts on them are and why we are not taking advantage of them. Thanks.
Ken Jackson
5:30 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Congressman Moss is currently pushing the house legislature to put 200 million towards for profit K-12 "Cyber Schools." It may be worth trying to recapture some of that money
Linda P
8:16 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Brick and mortar schools will be vanishing .....except for hands on courses...like cooking or shop ..... ( not popular options). It's happening with universities and is moving down to secondary education......fast. Cyber Ed is more individualized and frankly a better educational option for many courses and students. I have taken numerous on line education classes and love them.....get with it....the ones against it are the people with a vested financial interest in the current dysfunctional system.
Linda P
10:09 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
With school bullying on the rise, schools filled with security staff to monitor and prevent violence and drug trades, ...who can focus on studying? Proposals to build palaces at tax payer expense....run away pension and health care costs for ever growing administrative staffs?? Cyber schools can't come fast enough. Time to change the formula.
S Sera
3:39 pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Very scary thought. Time to speak up to Congressman Moss. There are many classes that online classes won't work for other than cooking or shop as Linda P suggests. Band, Art, and Chemistry to name a few. I'm pretty sure that most homes don't come with bunsen burners.
Ken Jackson
8:55 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Linda P, Thanks. You and your experiences with on line courses are a strong testimonial for their efficacy.
Linda P
9:52 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
It's sure better, Ken than relying on the MEA for educational policy
Ann
9:57 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
Many of us moved to Bloomfield for the same reason Joyce did. We look at the metropolitan area and ask, "Where are the best schools?"
We knew houses were cheaper in other areas, that we'd get bigger lots farther out, more culture farther in, more parks nearby, more walkability in other areas. But we chose Bloomfield for the schools.
We need future homebuyers to make the same choice, and pay the same premium.
Vote Yes on May 8.
L Luttinen
8:23 am on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Howard:
The federal programs are Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind.
The state progam is a school incentive/dash board program proposed by Gov Snyder and approved by the legislature. For an article on the discussions on Year 2 see the link below:
http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/04/michigan_house_approves_school.html
The BHSD has not earned our trust-they have consistently gone to the tax payers first before getting the operational and maintenance budgets and houses in order. This is why a NO vote is the best vote on May 8. We need to expect more from our school board than keeping taxes no more than we currently pay in the face of multi-million dollar deficits.