Dexter Voters Approve $242M Bond for School Upgrades

DEXTER, MI – Dexter Community Schools can move forward with upgrades to a range of infrastructure and learning spaces after voters green-lit a nearly $242 million bond on Tuesday, May 6.

Approved with a 3,461-2,681 vote, the measure permits the district to take out loans over the coming thirty years without increasing the millage rate for taxpayers, thus maintaining their payments at or under 8.5 mills.

A request for comment on next steps to Dexter school administrators was not immediately returned Tuesday. However, a bond update was expected to be included in the superintendent’s report During the upcoming regular meeting of the Dexter School Board at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, attendees will convene in the Bates Boardroom located at 2704 Baker Road.

During its inaugural year, the fresh initiative will impose an extra 1.55 mills to finance the increased debt, atop the current 6.95 mills being collected for pre-existing obligations. The issuance of bonds will occur over multiple phases—in 2023, 2027, 2029, and 2031—with an average yearly tax rate of 4.18 mills needed per phase to settle these debts.

The owner of a home valued at $200,000 will pay $320 and $836 annually, or the equivalent of roughly $26 and $70 a month, for 1.55 and 4.18 mills.

Voters last approved a bond proposal in 2017, which expires in 2030 That particular one also carried on. The school’s tax rate of 8.5 mills remains unchanged. — the same tax level since the late ’90s — to pay off new and past construction debt.

At present, the school district holds $77,320,000 in current outstanding bonds along with $651,119 in debts from an ongoing state program designed to guarantee their financial obligations are met.

As part of the 2025 capital bond initiative, Mill Creek Middle School will be revamped to exclusively accommodate fifth and sixth graders, bringing together all younger students at the same educational site.

That also includes new construction and other renovations at Creekside Intermediate School to create a new seventh- and eighth-grade building and theater for students and the community to use.

According to the district , the bond, amounting to $241,865,000 altogether, will also encompass:

• Upgrades to infrastructure across all district facilities, along with new collaboration areas and improved restrooms in every school.
• Playgrounds and learning spaces upgrades at all schools to be more age-appropriate and accessible
• An enhancement of Wylie Elementary with a new modern classroom addition
• A newly constructed 60,000-square-foot indoor facility designed for various purposes including sports, recreational activities, and community events.
• Upgrades for outdoor sports facilities might include enhancements like entrance areas, refreshment stands, and seating arrangements.
• Upgrades for theaters, art venues, and music spaces along with acquisition of new musical equipment
• Acquisition of new buses and enhancement of technological systems across the entire district
• Dexter High School is undergoing enhancements with a new main entrance, a fitness zone, and a career and technical education section. Additionally, they will be remodeling the science laboratories and the spaces on the second and third floors.

The boundary lines of Dexter Community Schools impact property taxes for residents in portions of Washtenaw and Livingston counties.

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