The borrowing request declined from $19.3 million to $17.1 million.
Demolition of the unused elementary-school sections and playground improvements are no longer financed through the bond. The district plans to pay for that work separately using district funds. The broader facility plan therefore remains similar, but the amount financed by taxpayers is lower.
There is no dedicated state funding for school infrastructure in Michigan.
The district's annual budget is around $9 million annually. The anticipated revenue from all sources for 2026-27 is about $8.4 million with expenditures slightly above that. It would take the district's entire budget for two years to fully fund the elementary renovation but that would take away money from the classroom and students.
School facilities are owned locally, not by the state or federal government, and are considered community assets. Because of this, responsibility for maintaining and improving school buildings rests with the local community—similar to homes and other local properties, major repairs are handled by the owners.
As a result, larger projects—such as roof replacements, HVAC systems, and renovations—are most often community-funded through voter-approved bonds.
What is Highpoint Virtual Academy?
Highpoint is a state-funded online learning program.
Revenue from Highpoint currently supports existing programs and staffing positions but future revenue amounts are not guaranteed. The revenue can change based on enrollment, state funding, and state policy. Highpoint is therefore an important source of support, but it is not large or predictable enough to pay for an entire facility project.
How is the current revenue from Highpoint used?
Board policy designates revenue from Highpoint to be used for funding educational enhancements.
Current Highpoint revenue helps Mesick provide additional opportunities and support for students. It also helps fund industrial arts, athletic transportation, two teaching positions, the district's food pantry, and other educational needs.
In 2024-25, Mesick received approximately $1.17 million in Highpoint oversight fees. While significant, that equals less than 7% of the $17.1 million November bond proposal.
Why is the district now able to use Highpoint funds for the November 2026 project?
When the August proposal was developed, the district had not yet finalized a new agreement to continue its Highpoint Virtual Academy partnership, so future revenue was too uncertain to responsibly include in the project funding plan. Since then, a new agreement has been reached, giving the district greater - though not guaranteed - clarity about future revenue. This allows the district to plan to set aside funds over the next few years for demolition and playground improvements, reducing the amount that needs to be borrowed.
The funding from our school forest, interest from the original gas and oil lease in the 1980's, and the proceeds from timber sales go directly into our capital projects fund. These funds have been recently used to replace the Jr/Sr High School boiler system, renovate the playground structures, and purchase a new bus.
Mesick strives to be a district families want to choose and be part of. Families consider many things when selecting a school, including staff, programs, culture, and the environment where their children will learn. Facilities alone do not determine that choice, but safe, healthy, functional, and well-maintained spaces are an important part of the educational experience.
Keeping Mesick's facilities current helps serve today's students, retain local families, remain attractive to other families, and protect the enrollment-related funding that supports district programs.
Families who live outside the district generally pay local school property taxes where they live, but state operating funding follows their student to the school district they attend. For 2026-27, that means approximately $10,300 in base funding per full-time student in many cases. Michigan law does not allow districts to charge tuition to students enrolled through Schools of Choice. The same principle works in reverse: when a Mesick student attends another district, the applicable funding follows that student.
The district has pursued outside funding because every grant dollar received could reduce the amount that must come from local resources.
Mesick applied for Michigan's 2025-26 School Infrastructure Competitive Grant program, which awarded $224 million to 31 districts, but Mesick was not selected for funding. The state has authorized another competitive infrastructure grant round for 2026-27, up to $50 million, and the district will evaluate that opportunity when application requirements are released.
The district intends to continue exploring grants, but competitive awards are limited and uncertain. They cannot be treated as a guaranteed funding source for the proposed renovation.
Between 2017 and 2018, voters considered three bond proposals:
$14.5 million in May 2017
$12.8 million in May 2018
$13.7 million in November 2018
Each proposal would have moved elementary students to the junior/senior high school to create one K–12 campus.
When the proposals did not pass, the elementary school remained open and in use. However, its long-term future was still uncertain while the district considered its next steps.
During this time, the district focused its limited resources on extending the life of the systems in the elementary school rather than making major updates. Over the years, its systems continued to age and its needs grew. The district did not believe it would be responsible to invest significant taxpayer money in a building that might not be part of its long-term plans.
This history helps explain the situation, and the district understands that it remains responsible for improving routine maintenance and for taking good care of the community’s schools.
Community members and staff have shared concerns about the care and upkeep of school assets and protecting taxpayers’ investment in them.
Those concerns helped shape a proposal designed with long-term stewardship in mind—renovating and updating existing elementary spaces, reducing the amount of building space to be maintained, and replacing aging systems.
The district recognizes community concerns about how its facilities have been maintained and has recently taken several steps to improve maintenance and accountability. The district is:
Currently hiring an additional full-time custodian
Using a new digital maintenance tracking system to document, prioritize, assign, and track facility issues
Developing preventative-maintenance schedules
Adding biweekly building walkthroughs with maintenance staff and the superintendent, along with monthly maintenance reviews
Committed to quarterly evaluations and School Board reviews of progress
These steps are intended to identify and address problems earlier, improve follow-through, and better protect the community's investment.
The district understands why some residents see history and potential in the unused portions of the elementary school. Our first responsibility, however, is to provide a safe and functional school environment and preserve the property for possible future educational needs.
The unused sections are connected to the portion that would remain an operating elementary school. Converting them into housing or commercial space would require significant private investment and complete separation of entrances, utilities, parking, emergency systems, and access from students and school operations.
Successful school-redevelopment projects generally require a qualified developer, a viable market, substantial financing, and control of the property over a long period. No viable developer-backed proposal has been identified that would meet those conditions while allowing the district to retain the land and protect future school use.
Removing the unused sections would reduce the amount of aging space the district must secure, repair, and maintain while preserving the property for the future.
The 1986 addition was built for classroom space but includes narrow hallways, smaller classrooms, and bathrooms that do not meet current accessibility standards. It also does not have modern ventilation systems.
The 1966 portion was identified as the most cost-effective section to renovate and already contains important spaces and systems, including the gym and primary mechanical and electrical infrastructure. Renovating it avoids paying to rebuild those major assets elsewhere.
It also provides the space needed for current elementary enrollment while allowing the district to remove unused building space and continue operating separate elementary and middle/high school buildings.
This approach protects the investment previous generations made while adapting the building to better serve today's students.
Highpoint Virtual School will be relocated to the high school, and the preschool program will be located at Floyd M. Jewett Elementary School. Specific locations will be finalized during the design process.
Yes. The current floor plans and renderings are conceptual. If approved, staff and users will be involved in the design process to help ensure spaces support day-to-day learning and operations.