The following is a list of Bond Issue Facts regarding our upcoming May 7, 2024, bond proposals. 

 

If you have a question not addressed here, please contact Superintendent Dr. Deanna Dobbins at 269-521-3903 or ddobbins@bdalecards.org to have your question answered. 

 

Repair/Update Student Learning Environments at Each School (Proposal 1) - Our most significant facilities projects are also our most basic. By upgrading mechanical and electrical systems and partially replacing windows and exterior doors, we can help keep our students WARM, SAFE, and DRY. 

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Some of our student furnishings are worn out and need to be replaced. Additionally, some of our classrooms have much older technology that hinders their teaching ability. The bond proposal would address this through minor technology upgrades throughout the district. 

 

​ADA-necessary improvements to select toilet rooms are critical to making our schools as accessible as possible for students and staff with disabilities. 

 

Purchase Busses (Proposal 1) - School buses have a lifespan, and our older buses may become less reliable and more costly to maintain. If voters approve this bond proposal, we would be able to evaluate our existing busses and be prepared to add busses to our fleet with improved safety features and reduced maintenance costs. 

 

Improved Site Circulation and Repaved Lots (Proposal 1) - Many of our lots are aging and cracked. We would repave several of the parking lots at Pullman Elementary, Bloomingdale Elementary, and Bloomingdale Middle School. Working within the paved areas, we would seek to improve the layout and flow of traffic to further alleviate traffic congestion. At Pullman Elementary, we would add a new bus loop along the front of the school out to Second Street to help relieve traffic congestion and add a sidewalk connection from the school to the playgrounds to help increase student safety. Additionally, to improve drainage and reduce areas of flooding, we would rework grading and drainage around the north wing of Bloomingdale Elementary and the east side gym area of Bloomingdale High School. 

 

Create a Safe + Secure Entry Experience (Proposal 1) - Feedback from the community identified requests for a more clear and secure entry experience for students. At Bloomingdale and Pullman Elementaries, we would provide canopies at the building entrances to help keep students warm, safe, and dry. Additionally, the main offices at each building would be remodeled to provide more secure, direct access to the office for visitors and clear sightlines to each building entrance area, including the addition of security cameras. 

 

HVAC with Added Cooling (Proposal 2) - All instructional spaces throughout the district would have improved HVAC systems with added cooling to improve the learning environments year-round and allow for more summer programming options. Our current system has limited cooling capabilities, and the temperature in some of our classrooms has been around 50° in the winter months and 80° at the beginning and end of the school year. 

 

Auxiliary Gym Addition at Bloomingdale Elementary (Proposal 2) - Due to limited space, we currently have sports practices and games going late into the evening, taking students away from having time to complete homework assignments and decompress at home. Adding an auxiliary gym would allow us to have earlier games and practices across the district. The gym addition would also allow us to develop a cafeteria into the current gym, creating a larger, more organized space. Along with the new auxiliary gym, there would be a new bus loop and additional parking.  

 

Relocate the Bus Garage at Pullman Elementary (Proposal 2) - The bus garage at Pullman Elementary would be moved beside the current school building to make the school more visible and accessible. The current location of the bus garage would become a new playground for students. 

 

Energy Savings – Adding insulation to our roofs and upgrading and replacing old mechanical equipment with digitally controlled units would reduce expenses and save money for our operational budget, preserve programs for our students, maximize energy efficiency, and reduce waste. 

 

Healthy Environments – Our goal is to improve our infrastructure to help students have healthy and safe educational environments. By improving air quality and replacing outdated building systems, we are taking care of our community resources.

 

High-Priority Projects – Based on community input, this plan addresses our most significant projects. Proposal 1 encompasses basic facility improvements and upgrades. Proposal 2 focuses on additional expanded facility upgrades identified through community feedback. 

 

Provide Additional Funding for Students – By addressing some major renovation items through these bond issues, we would reduce the number of “band-aid” solutions to our facility problems and have more general funds available for the classroom, educational programs, and our students and staff.