Public forums will be scheduled for questions about Breitung Township Schools' plans to place a $34.5 million bond issue on the Nov. 7 ballot.

KINGSFORD — Breitung Township Schools plans to place a $34.5 million bond issue on the Nov. 7 ballot to fund construction and expansion projects at Woodland Elementary and Kingsford Middle School, along with a new multi-purpose community building.

The school board Monday approved ballot language for the proposal.

“This call for election has come after months of preliminary work and study to prepare for the future of Breitung Township Schools,” Superintendent David Holmes said in a news release. “The district completed studies regarding significantly increasing enrollment, classroom space needs, recommended safety and access improvements, and expanded co-curricular and extracurricular programs over the past several years. The board has a strong desire to plan for the future of Breitung Township Schools and the passage of this bond election will help us to do so.”

The additional funding would be used to build, furnish and equip a six- to seven-classroom pod at Woodland Elementary; relocate the Woodland office to improve safety and access; add an auxiliary gymnasium at Woodland; expand the Kingsford Middle School commons area; and construct the multi-purpose community building.

The current high school was completed in 1964, the elementary school in 1989 and the middle school in 1991, when athletic complex improvements were finished as well.

The proposed bond would increase the tax rate by 4.6 mills, or $4.60 per $1,000 of taxable value, over a period of 25 years. The estimated average annual millage need to retire the bond is 4.1 mills, or $4.10 per $1,000 of taxable value.

According to the news release, the estimated annual cost to the average household in Kingsford would be $343 per year. Households with an average income of less than $63,001 could see the amount reduced through a Homestead property tax credit; households with an income less than $54,000 would see no increase.

Additionally, senior citizens with $30,001 in resources will see a 60% reduction, with a sliding scale of 100% reduction for those with resources of $21,000 or less, according to the news release.

Holmes stressed that the school is seeking the funding from a position of strength, not weakness.

“We are in a very good place as a district with enrollment and overall programming. However, we are continually planning to prepare our students for the future,” he said. “This bond will help to set the district on a trajectory of success well into the future.”

The school board and community members have always taken great pride in the district’s facilities for students, Holmes said.

“I look forward to sharing the vision the Board of Education, administration, staff and community focus group has set for our district and greater community,” he said.

Public forums will be set for questions about the plan and publications with specifics are being developed. For more information, go to www.kingsford.org or www.facebook.com/breitungtownshipschools.

The proposed ballot language follows:

Shall Breitung Township School District borrow a sum of not to exceed Thirty-Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($34,500,000) and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor for the purpose of: erecting, furnishing, and equipping additions to school buildings; remodeling, including security improvements to, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and re-equipping school buildings; acquiring and installing instructional technology and instructional technology equipment for school buildings; erecting, furnishing, and equipping a new multipurpose community building; and developing and improving driveways, parking areas, and sites?

Jim Paul can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 229, or at jpaul@ironmountaindailynews.com.