Dearborn Schools See Many Repairs, Upgrades Over Summer

Hard hats replaced young people as a common site at Dearborn's this summer.

Over the summer, workers removed three massive boilers from the 83-year-old building to make room for the same number of more-efficient replacements.

The removal of the boilers is among $14 million in summer repairs and upgrades at several of district’s 31 schools. The projects include roof replacements, parking lot repaving, heating and cooling repairs, window replacement and carpet and flooring changes.

The repairs, which Dearborn Public Schools typically makes during the summer, are more plentiful this year, mostly because of Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) from the federal government.

“We always have a lot of repairs going on in the summer, and I do think there are more this summer,” said David Mustonen, the district’s spokesman. “We have a lot of buildings and we need to make sure they are properly maintained for students.”

The repairs come at a time of unprecedented fiscal hardship for the 18,500-student district; the Dearborn School Board recently for the 2011-12 school year.

QSCB funds are low-interest bonds that the district can use for capital improvement projects. The funds are meant to be used only on facilities and cannot be used for classroom instruction, supplies, technology or payroll, Mustonen said.

The district used about $1.1 million of these funds last fall and has about $1.4 million left for projects next summer. The positive aspects of the QSCB funds are the low interest rate and the fact that the district can divert physical improvement projects away from its general fund–and use those funds in the classroom.

Kathy Hayes, the executive director of the Michigan Association of School Boards, said districts are concerned about the state of their facilities and how to make repairs and modifications in a strident fiscal environment. This is especially true for districts with many older buildings, such as Dearborn.

“Budgetary issues have to be considered by districts when it comes to buildings, but the most important thing is always the needs of the students,” she said.

Several Projects

The district typically spends about $3 to $4 million each summer on building fixes. But during the past five or so years–since the recession pummeled Michigan–building projects have been a bigger challenge to complete because of budget constraints.

Examples of projects paid for using the QSCB funds include the addition of $1.3 million in energy-efficient windows and blinds that will be installed at ; built-up roofing repairs and replacement at several schools at a cost of $2 million; roof replacement at for $607,377; a classroom addition at for $500,000; replacement of the shingle roof at for $400,000; replacement of slate at will be replaced for $800,000 and asphalt replacement at several schools for $610,500, to name a few.

All of the repairs that have been bid out will be completed by the time the 2011-12 school year begins this fall.         

No New Buildings

Recently, Fordson’s cafeteria was relocated as part of an addition to that building to create additional classrooms, but because none of the district’s buildings are considered over-populated, there are no plans for new facilities or major add-ons to existing buildings, said Superintendent Brian Whiston.

“I do not see the need for another high school,” he said. “If (enrollment) projections show the need, we would look to add rooms onto the current high schools.”

But maintaining a large group of facilities is a challenge that is not easy. Because repairs that must be paid for never end, Whiston said the district will look at new ways to fund improvements, such as issuing bonds or asking voters for a sinking fund tax that can only be used for physical improvements.

“We have millions of unmet building needs,” he said. “We will need to look at bond or sinking fund issues when the economy settles down.”