There’s a lot of information out there about the Lake Orion Community Schools bond proposal. Some of the numbers are designed to make it seem as if we are headed towards some doomsday scenario, which simply is not true.

Please seek out the facts instead of relying on sound bites or slogans. Much of the info in this letter can be found on the LOCS website in the application submitted to the Michigan Dept. of Treasury.

The current 7.491 mill levy for LOCS debt will not increase if this bond proposal is approved by voters. The millage rate also will not go down for several years if the bond does not pass, so voting yes or no will not impact anybody’s pocketbook positively or negatively for many years.

As for the total debt we’ll face, this $160 million bond proposal is not simply being added on top of the existing $87 million debt. That math ignores that LOCS will be paying down the existing debt as it sells the new debt in three series (2019, 2022 & 2025). Each series requires principal payments to begin within a couple years of the bonds being sold. This ensures that short life assets such as computing technologies are financed over their appropriate useful lifetimes.

Per the projections approved by the state, the LOCS debt balance will hit a high of $163 million after the 2025 series of bonds are issued. While that number might seem very high, it’s roughly half of the $320 million in debt that LOCS had in 2002 after many series of bonds were issued to build LOHS, Oakview, Orion Oaks and Paint Creek.

We built ourselves some awesome buildings a generation ago and have paid that amount down by almost 75 percent to the present level.

With this bond proposal, we have the opportunity to make some awesome modern improvements, which will facilitate 21st Century learning needs. This community will certainly rally together to pay these bonds off in a similar timely fashion. There simply is no need to fear the big numbers being thrown around town, because this can all happen without the tax rate increasing.

The district has been and will continue to be very prudent with taxpayer resources. Issuing the debt in series makes the projects more manageable and reduces the amount of interest which will be incurred. Lake Orion schools becoming “Safer, Smarter and Stronger” will continue to make the Orion area an attractive place to live which enhances our property values.

Please Vote YES on Nov. 6.

Jake Singer

Lake Orion