Rep. Kurt Heise Adds His Support to Plymouth-Canton Bond

With the May 7 Election Day drawing closer, the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools $114.4 million bond proposal is gaining support among the community.

Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Plymouth) is one of the most recent supporters. As a parent of two children in the district, Heise said he believes the district has put together a good plan to allocate funds. 

"The market for public education right now is very competitive, and Plymouth-Canton needs to keep up with that," Heise said. "It (the bond) will allow us to attract more families in our area and it will improve property values.

"I'll be honest, the state government has been cutting education funding for the last two years," he said. "I have consistently opposed and voted no on those cuts. So I think it's important for me to put my money where my mouth is. I think we need more K-12 funding in Michigan and right here in Plymouth-Canton."

If passed, the $114 bond proposal will replace Central Middle School with a new building on district-owned property at Canton Center and Cherry Hill roads in Canton, install fiberoptic networking throughout the district, add tablet devices and laptop computers to each K-12 student, make building improvements and gradually replace the district's outdated fleet of buses.

Heise stressed the need for a new middle school, saying current schools are at or near capacity and Central Middle School is not functional in the modern era.

"Also, I think we'll save money in long run by having a school that is closer to its client base- basically children who are living in Canton," Heise said. "Most of the kids who go to Central are from Canton. Plus, I think that's very valuable property in downtown Plymouth. I could see that building either being reused or demolished for a for-profit operation that would benefit the school district."

Heise called the bond fiscally responsible, as it does not raise taxes, instead holding district's existing millage rate at 4.1 mills. 

Plymouth-Canton Patch reader Michael Redman disagreed in his comment on an earlier article regarding the bond. 

"For those of you who have 'bought' the propagandist pitch the superintendent and board have made that the taxes are not increasing: you're either a donkey or a tool," he said. "Not raising the existing rate but extending the length of the bond can take just as much money out of your tax-dollar pocket, if not more. Open your eyes, do the math."

Breakdown in bond costs:

Plymouth-Canton School Administrators will hold two informational meetings discussing the $114.4 million bond proposal on Thursday, April 25 at the Plymouth Cultural Center and at Canton High School in the DuBois Little Theatre. Both meetings will begin at 7 p.m.

To learn more about the bond proposal, visit pccs.k12.mi.us/2013bond