Dear Au Gres-Sims Schools Families and Community,
I’m writing today to address head-on some of the concerns being expressed regarding the district’s upcoming bond election scheduled for Tuesday, August 5. To do that I need to look back more than a year ago when the district’s building and site committee put forth a plan to address critical infrastructure needs.
As a result of several meetings and many discussions the group determined that it was necessary to seek support from the community for a bond to:
Improve roofing
Upgrade lighting in the elementary
Improve air handling and heating in large spaces throughout the district’s facilities
Improve safety for student athletes with an improved track
Improve safety for spectators at the stadium with the replacement of bleachers
In addition, the building and site committee recommended research into a state-of-the-art, year-round community center that could accommodate a wide range of recreational activities, that would benefit both the school and the greater Au Gres community.
I’ve also fielded questions about when we will begin our informational campaign. We’ve already begun that process. Schools around the state seek bonds and sinking fund millages to support the types of improvements the committee recommended. These campaigns typically last approximately three months where the information is spread out so as to not overwhelm, nor hide anything, making it easier to consume. At Au Gres-Sims we’ve already launched a portion of our website dedicated to the bond that includes descriptions of the projects, a frequently asked questions document and images of the types of projects we will invest in if the bond is approved by voters.
We are also planning to host community forums to answer residents’ questions. The forums are scheduled for Tuesday, May 20 and Thursday, June 12, both at 7 p.m. in the high school cyber cafe.
I also encourage anyone in the community who has questions to contact my assistant, Penny Freehling (freehlingp@ags-schools.org; 989-876-7150, to schedule a one-on-one meeting. We are committed to being fully transparent with the request to the community.
Thank you for your continued support of Au Gres-Sims.
Sincerely,
Christopher G. Ming
Superintendent