Before approaching the ballot box this November, Southland School District officials are coming straight to the voters to present more information about the bond referendum.

The Southland School District held a public meeting on Wednesday night, drawing about 30 people to learn more about the upcoming bond referendum that will be placed on the Nov. 6 ballot.

This referendum was created because of the district’s decision to close Southland Elementary School that was caused by declining student enrollment and also lack of funding from the state. The date of the elementary school’s closing is tentatively set for the end of 2019, but not finalized pending the the results of Nov. 6. To help transition students into Adams, Southland needs funding to help renovate the middle school and high school facility to accommodate the influx of students, according to a previous story.

There were 15-minute presentations about how Southland reached this point in approaching the public about the bond referendum that would help the district address needed renovations and upgrades in preparation to transition its elementary school students to the main campus in Adams.

“It went well,” said Superintendent Jeff Sampson. “The overall mood was good and people got some of their questions answered. They felt better getting their questions answered, especially regarding tax impacts for some members of the public there.”

There were breakout areas where attendees could get their questions answered about the two questions appearing on the Nov. 6 ballot, voting information, and also what would happen if the bond referendum were to fail. There were also opportunities to tour the Southland Middle School and High School for individuals to see in person the upgrades that were needed to be done.

Another public meeting will be held on Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. at Southland Middle School and High School, where attendees can participate in a similar format in receiving more information before voting.

“It truly is to show them the needs up close and personal,” Sampson said. “I think it helped from that standpoint by showing them the different areas that are going to be touched. …we’re looking to engage more people with information and the best thing is to encourage them to go and vote.”

During the last several months, the district’s school board and administrators have been proactively approaching various local entities, such as townships and city councils, to provide more information surrounding the upcoming bond referendum. New information about the two questions could also be found on the district’s website under its “facilities” tab.

A bond referendum provides funding that can be used to in construction projects, repairs or renovations existing facilities, purchase technology and other equipment. When a school district needs operating or building funds that go beyond what the state funding is provided, then the district has to ask voters to approve those funds through voting.

Last year, Southland had approached the district’s taxpayers with a bond referendum that ultimately failed. The difference for this upcoming referendum on Nov. 6 is that the requested bond amount has decreased. According to a previous story, last year’s question that was on the ballot was for $24.5 million. This year, two questions will appear:

•One for renovations at $15.8 million to provide Southland funds to address facility updates, space efficiency needs and increase safety and security of the building.

•One for a gym at $2.4 million that’s contingent on the passage of question one

Those efforts garnered generally “good feedback,” according to Sampson, and this type of activity of going out to various stakeholders isn’t new for Southland. A few years ago, Southland had done similar approaches in getting more information out for an operating levy.

“They’ve been good and we received good feedback at the township and city level,” he said. “People had good questions and prompted us to add to our messages regarding the questions asked at those times. We’re trying to line up more city and township meetings.”

It’s all up to the bond

If the bond referendum fails to pass, Southland Elementary School will still close. Sampson had stated that the immediate priorities would be to create classrooms within the media center space to accommodate elementary students and improve facility needs like HVAC and boiler replacements.

If the bond passes, then the rough timeline for the project would start with the creation of designs this November and going through April 2019. Then construction preparations will start, and official construction will take place possibly in July 2019.

The bond’s passage would also determine whether Southland Elementary School would delay its closing by another school year to accommodate the construction and renovation at the Southland Middle and High School or it’s closure at the end of the school year.

However, it’s all left up to the voters at the polling stations to determine that.

“I’m happy to see people asking good questions and engaging whenever they can to get informed, it’s all I ask,” Sampson said. “Go to the ballot box and get informed before they make a choice.”

Southland School District Bond Referendum Vote

Question 1: Would provide school district with funds to address identified facility updates, space efficiency needs, and increase safety and security of the building

Question 2: Would provide school district with funds to build a second gym and allow for increased space for physical education programming, sport practices, and community gathering.

*Question 2 is contingent on passage of Question 1