JPS 2025 Bond

No, the School District’s debt millage rate is expected to remain at the current level of 5.95 mills. In 2024, due to strong financial stewardship, the District was able to reduce the millage rate from the estimated 6.2 mills that voters approved in 2018, down to 5.95 mills.  The 2025 bond proposal is possible while keeping the rate at 5.95 mills, thus no increase to the current debt millage rate is expected.

The District’s goals for Bond 2025 include:

• Continue to provide and improve comfortable, safe, and healthy school environments for our children
• Support the District’s goal to continue to be an epicenter of innovation by creating space for workforce-ready curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities at all academic levels
• Continue the community’s investment in our District’s facilities
• Keep taxpayer dollars in the Jackson Public Schools’ community
• Preserve General Fund dollars to accomplish the District’s core mission of instruction and student learning

• Infrastructure

Address infrastructure items identified as requiring attention now through year 8, including HVAC upgrades to bring climate-controlled academic spaces into every building for the comfort, safety, and health of students and staff

• Career Readiness

Build a new Innovation Center supporting workforce readiness goals, including trades and manufacturing

• Hands-On Learning

Increase hands-on, collaborative learning opportunities in our buildings at every grade level, as well as create outdoor learning spaces K-12

• Consistent School Experience

Continue the work of the 2018 bond to provide all buildings with collaboration and renovated spaces.

New Innovation Center on JHS campus, which will also serve as home for JPS Administration Offices

• Upgrade current Pathways and Science areas at JHS to create lab and collaborative spaces to support current and future programs
• Create collaboration spaces at JPS Montessori and Sharp Park to create a consistent school experience for all students
• Cafeteria renovations: Dibble, Hunt, Northeast, Sharp Park, JPS Montessori, JHS
• Instructional technology upgrades
• Outdoor learning spaces at all schools K-12
• Building exterior improvements: bricks, roofing, JHS tower restoration
• HVAC and boiler upgrades to improve comfort, health, and safety in our buildings
• Electrical and mechanical upgrades 
• Select remodeling, casework, and flooring replacement
• Sitework: parking lots, drives, loops, and sidewalk improvements; playground updates; and fencing
• Athletics: JHS bleacher replacements, upgrades to team rooms, new stadium lights, track upgrades, and Parkside tennis complex and soccer stadium lighting upgrades

Jackson Public School buildings are, on average, 78 years old (not including the new Cascades Elementary or fully remodeled John R. Lewis Elementary). Not all critical infrastructure improvements could be completed under the 2018 bond program. The District must continue to invest in its facilities to serve JPS students and staff. The Board of Education believes that the upgrades identified support proper stewardship of the community’s investment in our schools. The upgrades support the District’s goal to strengthen instruction by implementing aligned, research-based best practices district-wide to enhance student performance.  Because the District believes providing safe, comfortable, and secure learning environments is essential, failure to pass the bond would require the district to redirect general fund dollars—money currently dedicated to teaching, learning, and critical student and staff supports—toward basic infrastructure repairs. This shift would impact our ability to deliver high-quality instruction and maintain the essential programs and personnel our students rely on.

The mission of Jackson Public Schools is to bring the community together to create a culture of academic excellence and workforce readiness. To help achieve these goals, students must develop real world skills throughout their educational journey. The proposed Jackson High School Innovation Center will provide dedicated space supporting career and technical training with programmatic elements like hands-on labs, collaboration space, STEAM technology, and future program activities not yet identified. An on-campus innovation center provides the physical space for our students to engage in activities necessary to build workforce-ready skills without leaving the property and develop strong community partnerships.

Safety and security remains at the forefront of District goals for any building improvements.  The protection of our students, staff and visitors is of paramount importance, and we will always look to meet and exceed the standards for security in school design and operations. In the 2018 bond program, secure entry vestibules and access control systems were installed and these measures, as well as operational initiatives, have provided enhanced security across all buildings. Recent assessments of our schools have identified various additional upgrades to our security technology, lockdown devices, fencing, and other items that will continue to enhance and extend safety and security measures on our sites and in all buildings.

Technology planned in Bond 2025 includes upgrading and refreshing instructional devices for staff and students.

Hands-on learning engages students in live experience-based activities so they can “learn by doing.” Learners engage with materials, tools, and real-world experiences that promote critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity. Often used to teach science, technology, art, and math subjects, hands-on learning increases students' durable skills that remain applicable after their K-12 education at JPS. This supports the JPS vision of fostering academic excellence by promoting student engagement and developing lifelong learners

In collaborative and active learning spaces, groups of students learn by encouraging each other to ask questions, explain and justify their opinions, articulate their reasoning, and elaborate and reflect upon their knowledge. The teacher acts as a facilitator, helping students with their research and guiding them through the learning process. Research-based benefits of collaborative learning affect both the personal and educational development of the student including:

• students can learn more material by engaging with one another and making sure everyone understands
• students retain more information from thoughtful discussion
• students have a more positive attitude about learning and about each other by working together

To create an active learning space, we need to provide the resources for information processing, collaboration, assistance, and management of the learning activities. These include technology, flexible furniture that allows for different configurations, appropriate lighting, and finishes.

If the bond proposal is successfully passed on November 4, 2025, design would commence on various projects beginning January 2026, with construction on final projects completing in approximately 2030.

In an effort toward meeting the JPS Strategic Goals, the District engaged in several processes to assess the existing conditions of its buildings and evaluate how well the existing facilities support teaching and learning activities. The District also engaged in financial analysis of the current school debt to establish optimal timing for a bond vote to ensure the maximum amount of funding without an increase to taxpayers. A Bond Planning Committee was formed, and multiple meetings and community engagement sessions were held before the Committee presented their recommendation to the Board of Education.

The Board approved the recommendation for the Bond Proposal. As always, the Board of Education has expressed its commitment to quality educational programs and facilities for our students and entire community.

The last bond program for our School District was approved by voters in 2018. It has been essential in addressing the District’s most critical facility repairs, the District’s aging buildings, and the desire to modernize facilities to help reduce barriers for today’s and tomorrow’s learners. 

The following list includes projects that have been completed in the 2018 bond program.

Elementary School Highlights

• New Cascades Elementary 
• John R. Lewis - new and complete renovation to old Lincoln Elementary
• Northeast - remodeled main office, sitework
• Sharp Park Academy - safe, secure entrance, hallway remodel
• JPS Montessori - general remodeling, tech upgrades
• Dibble - classroom addition, entry remodel, instructional technology
• Hunt - New media center, roof replacement, new mechanical/electrical

Parkside Middle School Highlights

• Added enclosed corridors
• Remodeled band room
• Converted office area and commons into collaboration areas
• Remodeled cafeteria, media center, and science classrooms
• Upgrades to instructional technology

Jackson High School Highlights

• New secure entry
• New Aquatic Center addition
• Converted shop to Pathways classrooms
• Converted old pool into sports practice rooms
• Remodeled Media Center
• Upgrades to instructional technology
• Site work

In Michigan, the ideal funding mechanism to fund large capital investments is bonds.  It is the priority of the district to allocate as much general funding as possible towards teaching and learning.  Not passing this bond will require the district to use general funds for much of the infrastructure needs and therefore provide fewer opportunities to enhance student learning.

A voter-approved bond proposal is a funding mechanism a public school district may use to borrow money to pay for major capital expenditures. Voter-approved bond funds can be spent on various capital expenditures, including new construction, additions, remodeling, site improvements, infrastructure improvements, safety, and security enhancements, athletic and performing arts facilities, playgrounds, furnishings, equipment, buses, and technology.

A mill represents $1.00 for every $1,000 of taxable value of your property. The taxable value of your property is the same or lower than the state-equalized value and substantially lower (50% or more) than the market value. Also, it is important to remember that property taxes, including any increases, may be deductible on your federal income tax returns and may count as a credit on your state returns

If voters approve the bond proposal, it is projected that there will be no increase over our current debt millage rate.  In 2024, due to strong financial stewardship, the District was able to reduce the millage rate from the estimated 6.2 mills voters approved in 2018, down to 5.95 mills.  The 2025 bond proposal is possible while keeping the rate at 5.95 mills, thus no increase to the current debt millage rate is expected.

As the District continues to pay off past and current bond obligations with debt millages, the total debt millage is estimated to stay at 5.95 mills even as new debt is added to the debt structure. Districts can do this by issuing the total authorized bonds in multiple series and extending the bond millage rate into the future.

Property taxes may be deductible as itemized deductions on your federal income tax return if you itemize. You may also be eligible for the Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit on your Michigan Income Tax Return. Please consult with your tax preparer.

The Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit is a method through which some taxpayers can receive a tax credit for an amount of their property tax that exceeds a certain percentage of their household income. This program establishes categories under which homeowners or renters are eligible for a homestead property tax credit. Please consult with your tax preparer to determine if you are eligible for this important and valuable tax credit.

No, that is against State law. Bond dollars cannot be used for operational expenses such as employee salaries, facility maintenance, or utility costs. Bond program funds must be accounted for separately from general operating funds. Bond funds are also subject to audit.

Bond proceeds cannot be used for the following items:

• Salaries and wages
• General operating expenses and maintenance
• Classroom supplies and textbooks
• Administrative costs

Bond proceeds can be used for the following items:

• Construction and remodeling of facilities
• Purchase of instructional technology equipment
• Equipment and furniture
• Site improvements
• Purchase of buses

Yes. Bond proceeds can only be used on projects/buildings owned by the District.