COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – After months of planning, community engagement meetings, radio interviews and countless building tours both Coldwater Community Schools and Quincy Community schools are now ready to place their school bond issues in the hands of voters.
Tomorrow, voters in Branch County will decide on two major school bond proposals totaling $124 million to address aging infrastructure in the Coldwater and Quincy districts.
Coldwater Community Schools is seeking $64 million for significant renovations to its nearly 70-year-old high school, including a new 62,000-square-foot wing and the installation of the building’s first central air conditioning system.
Meanwhile, Quincy Community Schools has proposed a $60 million bond to renovate existing facilities and demolish its century-old middle school, replacing it with a new academic wing at the high school to consolidate operations and improve efficiency.
The two local proposals come amid a broader wave of school funding requests across Michigan this tomorrow, with billions in total bond debt up for voter consideration statewide.
While some districts are proposing “zero-mill” increases by replacing retiring debt, both Coldwater and Quincy are asking for tax increases—1.5 mills and 4.55 mills respectively—to bridge the gap between their limited sinking funds and the tens of millions in urgent repairs identified by recent facility assessments.
Superintendents in both districts have characterized these votes as critical, long-term investments rather than requests for “extra bells and whistles”. In Coldwater, Superintendent Paul Flynn noted the facility has not seen major upgrades since 1994 and is now “decades behind” modern standards. Quincy Superintendent John Denney emphasized that without these funds, the district cannot keep pace with repairs on the aging facilities. Polls remain open on Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for residents to cast their final ballots on these measures.
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