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Gwinn will try again to pass school proposals

GWINN, MI--   The superintendent of Gwinn Area Community Schools says the district will ask voters again to consider two proposals to address critical building and vehicle needs. 

Tom Jayne says the $1.56 million bond proposal and 1-mill sinking fund would have fixed roofs, replaced an aging bus fleet, and purchased new technology.  He says those needs affect how the district can teach.

“Well, when you have leaking roofs and buckets to catch the water that comes down, that’s not a conducive learning atmosphere, and that just perpetuates itself.  Once you have a leak it turns into a greater leak.”    

Jayne says officials have to better express how urgent those needs are.

“I think what we need to do moving forward is just do a better job of educating the public on those needs and the urgency of the needs and to listen to them—especially those who may have been opposed as to why they’re opposed—and what we can do to help assure them that we’ll be good stewards of the money.” 

Jayne says the proposals will likely be on the May 2016 ballot.  If they don’t pass again fixes will have to be made regardless, he says.  Money will have to be taken from the district’s general fund, which could mean reductions in programming and personnel to pay for them.  

Nicole was born near Detroit but has lived in the U.P. most of her life. She graduated from Marquette Senior High School and attended Michigan State and Northern Michigan Universities, graduating from NMU in 1993 with a degree in English.