Bond 2023

 

Thank you image

November 8, 2023

Dear Bentley Community Voters,

On behalf of the students of Bentley Community Schools, thank you for your support of the bond.

With the 1.10 mill increase over the previous tax levy, we plan to

  • add a parent drop off/pick up lane at Barhitte and make playground upgrades to areas impacted by the new lane
  • finish the HVAC work at Barhitte and Bentley High School
  • add HVAC to the entire middle school
  • replace existing parking lots and driveways throughout the district
  • add a formal parking lot at the athletic complex and the bus lot
  • abate and replace the failing asbestos-laden glass block windows at BHS
  • improve the baseball and softball fields

The work will occur during the next two summers, 2024 and 2025. We are excited to make these improvements and, with your continued support, maintain safe and secure environments where our students will thrive.

With gratitude,
Dr. Kristy Spann, Superintendent, and the Bentley Board of Education



AN OPEN LETTER TO BENTLEY AREA VOTERS
Bentley Community Schools has amazing students, staff, and alumni! From kindergarten through 12th grade, we have students involved in student council, robotics, visual and performing arts, athletics, early middle college, Math Hoops, skeet, and so much more.

OUR STUDENTS ARE INNOVATIVE! For example, Bentley students planned & facilitated a conference held at Wayne State University in May 2023 for high school students from across three counties!

OUR STUDENTS ARE SMART! For example, Barhitte Elementary conditional growth math scores have increased from 2021 to 2023 by 59%! BMS students’ 2023 MSTEP proficiency scores grew at a higher rate than the county & state. And BHS is 9th out of 25 in the county for education (MLive - US News and World Report, Aug. 2023) with a graduation rate of 88%, which exceeds the state by 7%.

OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING PLACES! For example, our 2023 graduates were eligible for more than $569,750 to pursue college and/or trade school!

A LITTLE HISTORY

Bentley Community Schools was incorporated in 1914 and constructed the current buildings in the 1950s. Since then, we’ve been graduating people who have gone on to become police officers, actors, doctors, lawyers, principals, teachers, judges, scientists, pilots, military personnel, welders, electricians, entrepreneurs, journalists (one who worked for the Associated Press), and more. And Bentley continues to graduate young adults who become critical-thinking, hardworking citizens…many of whom become leaders in their own right.

WHY IS THIS BOND PROPOSAL NECESSARY?
The schools and facilities that serve Bentley Community students, on average, are 70 years old. To the best of our ability, we have continued to renovate and update the structures on an ongoing basis. Recent updates include district-wide LED lighting, building automation systems, Nightlock security system, kitchen generators, improved camera systems, upgraded building security, one-to-one technology for our students, interactive whiteboards, HVAC upgrades at Barhitte and part of the high school, and so much more!

Now we need to finish the HVAC work at our high school, elementary office, and install it at our middle school—these are issues of health and safety. Moreover, our parking lots and drives are deteriorating. Although we’ve been maintaining them, it is now more cost-effective to replace them. The line of cars on Roberta St. from the school to Belsay Rd. twice each day is dangerous for others to try to get around. So we will create a parent drop off/pick up lane on the school campus to eliminate that dangerous congestion. Additionally, we will remove glass block at BHS that contains asbestos and replace with new windows. The existing structure is beginning to fail making this a necessity. Finally, if funds allow, we will upgrade the baseball and softball fields and entryway to the athletic complex.

The bottom line is that Bentley Community School District needs to provide ventilation and climate control for safety reasons to the rest of our students (BMS & BHS), create a parent drop-off loop at BES for safety, remove failing asbestos glass blocks, and replace the parking lots as they have reached the end of their useful life to provide students with the facilities they need and deserve.

WHAT WILL THIS BOND PROPOSAL COST?
The projected improvements will cost us $8.182 million. If approved by voters, the bond proposal calls for a net 1.10 mill tax increase over the prior year’s levy. The average Burton home has a taxable value of about $80,000 (market value of $160,000), so the estimated increase in taxes will be about 24₵/day, $7.33/month, or $88/year.

WHO WILL BENEFIT IF THIS BOND PROPOSAL IS APPROVED BY VOTERS?
All Bentley students will benefit from the proposed building projects; moreover, these upgrades positively impact our home values and traffic flow/safety.

HOW DO I VOTE IN THIS ELECTION?
Registered voters living in the Bentley area can vote at the polls 7 AM – 8 PM on Election Day, Nov. 7th, or by absentee ballot Sep. 29th – Nov. 6th at 4 PM (including Saturday, Nov. 4th from 9 AM – 5 PM). You can register to vote and/or request an absentee ballot application from the Clerk's Office or by going online to www.michigan.gov/vote and clicking on Absentee Voting in the left column.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOND PROPOSAL?
• Go to www.bentleyschools.org and click on Bond 2023.
• Contact Dr. Kristy Spann, the Bentley Community Schools Superintendent at 810.591.9120 or by email at [email protected].

On behalf of the Board of Education, thank you for your consideration of Bentley’s bond proposal.

Dr. Kristy Spann
Bentley Community Schools Superintendent