The Dexter Community Schools (DCS) Board of Education approved taking the next step in potentially putting a ballot proposal before voters for the May 6, 2025 special election.

The school board at its Dec. 16 meeting approved a resolution to authorize DCS Superintendent Chris Timmis to submit the Preliminary Application for a School Improvement Bond to the State Treasurer for review.

The board’s meeting packet gave some background on the resolution: “At its November 4, 2024 meeting, the Board discussed the Bond Steering Committee’s work and recommendations. At the November 18, 2024 meeting, the Board discussed the timeline and tasks involved in placing a bond proposal on the May 5, 2025 ballot. The Board directed the Superintendent to proceed with the preliminary bond proposal application. This evening’s packet contains a resolution authorizing the Superintendent to submit the Preliminary Application to the State Treasurer for review and approval.”

The Sun Times News followed up with Dexter school board president Elise Bruderly by email to ask about this latest decision.

After the application is submitted, Bruderly said the State will then have 30 days to respond to this application and the school board is expecting to get an update on the status of the Preliminary Application at its Jan. 27 board meeting. Bruderly said the Board is expected to have an opportunity to move forward with voting to put the Bond on the ballot for DCS voters at that meeting.

The entire bond proposal would total $241,865,000 and maintain the current millage rate. The Bond Steering Committee recommendation was to present a “comprehensive facility improvement bond proposal to the DCS voters that maintained the current millage rate that has been in effect for nearly 40 years to fund a comprehensive maintenance and improvement plan for DCS facilities for students and the community.”

Bruderly said the Bond that has been recommended and supported thus far by the Board is a 0 mil increase to taxes.

“This Bond would retain the tax rate that our district has been paying for over 40 years to support school improvements,” Bruderly said.

“The Board is appreciative of the work that has been done to get us to this point,” she said. “The district has been working since last winter to complete a facilities study so that the Board can better understand the upkeep and maintenance needs of our spaces.”

As part of the board preparation in getting to this point, Bruderly said the teachers and staff have been surveyed and engaged so that the school board can better understand the space-needs for the teaching and learning being done in our buildings, and, the Bond Steering Committee, which included staff, experts, and community members, presented a comprehensive recommendation synthesizing these needs to the Board at the Nov. 4 meeting.

Going forward, Bruderly said “The Bond process is long and full of many steps. If steps continue to proceed such that the Board votes to put a Bond on the May ballot, there will be many opportunities for community members and voters to learn about the potential plans. There will be written materials as well as community meetings so that voters can have all of their questions answered.”

To learn more, go to https://www.dexterschools.org/district/board-of-education/meetings and look in the Dec. 16 meeting packet.