Letter to the Editor: Bond Funds Needed for Critical Improvements

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Dear Editor –

I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the amazing schools located in our community. Educating nearly 4,000 of our future leaders each day, Lowell Area Schools (LAS) continues to be one of the top performing districts in Kent County, the State of Michigan, and the nation. LAS has committed to learners across the spectrum starting as young as 3 years old through the preschool program at Curiosity Corner up to our graduating seniors boasting championship-winning athletics and countless academic achievements, all of which have led to numerous opportunities to continue their education at colleges, universities, and trade programs around the world. Graduates of LAS have truly been transformed during their time with our schools and have transformed the communities in which they now reside. I believe their success comes from the outstanding foundation created at LAS.

While per-pupil funding from the State of Michigan has increased over the last few years, the majority of those funds are prioritized to high quality educational materials and the excellent teaching, administrative, and support staff. The remaining funds are simply not enough to also cover everything else. School districts are left with the daunting task of working with quickly aging infrastructure requiring constant maintenance while adapting to a world that is continuing to evolve each day. While LAS has earned great honor and success in the past, it is crucial that we, as a community, continue to support the district by voting YES to the 2024 Bond Proposal on the ballot May 7th.

The funds from the passage of this bond proposal will be used for critical improvements and maintenance projects that are planned at all buildings to ensure that each student has a safe and comfortable environment to grow each day. In addition, and more importantly, several upgrades and additions are planned. For the first time in decades, Cherry Creek will be renovated to create a learning space that is truly built around the needs of our younger students. A much-needed dedicated space for our orchestra program will be added at the high school; starting with 12 students over 20 years ago, this program has grown to consistently earn superior ratings at all levels of competition and has instilled the love of music and the arts in hundreds of students. An auxiliary gym will be added to the middle school to provide the adequate space needed for practices and competitions to take place in a timely manner. New technology will be integrated into programs at all levels to assist our educators in preparing our students for the evermore-interconnected world that they will enter after their time at LAS.

Now the best part of this bond proposal? $104 MILLION will be raised with NO TAX RATE INCREASE! LAS has proven their ability to manage these funds with skill as evidenced with the completed renovation of the middle school, expansion of athletic facilities, and numerous other upgrades following the passage of the last bond proposal in 2019.

I hope you will join me and others that have signed below in supporting our students by voting YES this May 7th!

Parker Liu, LAS Class of 2010
City of Lowell

Additional Signatories:
– Chelsey Liu
– Mike Devore
– Leah Groves
– Bruce Doll
– Amanda Rogers
– Craig Fonger
– Richard “Jack” Misner
– Wendy Tenney
– Jackie Tousley
– Kim Lum
– Alex McMahon
– Rossemary Salinas
– James Betz
– Nick and Amy Gless
– Lori Ingraham
– Katie Boggs
– Nicole Lintemuth
– Laura Judge
– Tamara Heckaman
– Mark Blending
– Casey Butler
– Deborah A. Riley
– Robert VanderJagt
– Judie Silvis