Bond 2025

Dear Grosse Pointe Public School System Families,

This is Andrea Tuttle, Superintendent of the Grosse Pointe Public School System. On behalf of our team I wish to extend our sincere gratitude to each of you for taking the time to vote on the recent Grosse Pointe Public School bond proposal.

I am thrilled to share that the bond passed overwhelmingly. This is a tremendous testament to our community’s enduring commitment to educational excellence. Your support reflects a deep understanding that education is among the most meaningful gifts we can give our children, shaping not only their futures but the future of our entire community.

The successful passage of this initiative will enable us to make essential improvements across our district, addressing critical needs identified through thoughtful community input. This achievement is a powerful reflection of our shared mission to “build the future” for our students.

We are proud to preserve and enhance our historic school buildings, ensuring they continue to serve generations to come. This important work is only possible because of your unwavering support, trust, and engagement. Whether you attended meetings, asked questions, shared information, or simply encouraged others to get involved, you made a difference.

Your belief in our schools fuels our passion and strengthens the foundation of this incredible community. Together, we are ensuring that Grosse Pointe Public School System remains a place where excellence, tradition, and innovation thrive—today and for generations to come.

With heartfelt appreciation from our entire team.  

Thank you,

Dr. Andrea Tuttle
Superintendent, Grosse Pointe Public School System

Through strong financial stewardship the District was able to lock in lower interest cost than anticipated on the 2018 bond proposition.  The lower interest cost together with stronger taxable value growth allowed the District to structure the existing debt to provide a step down in the debt payments in 2025/2026 which allows the District to issue $120 million of new bonds without increasing the debt millage to taxpayers from what they currently pay. It is structured to remain at or below 3.14 which is still among the lowest of our peer districts.

The Board of Education asked voters to consider a $120 million bond proposal to improve facilities throughout the district. The bond is offered at a zero tax-rate increase (from the existing millage rate) for community members, continuing the district’s mission to “build the future” for our community’s children.

This is separate from the sinking fund that passed in 2024 and increased tax rates. See the tab above for more information on the sinking fund.

The district felt it was time that our facilities matched the quality of our educational programming. We love our buildings, many of which are nationally designated historic sites. This bond helps preserve our history while providing comfortable, modern learning spaces for our students and teachers.

Of the proposed $120 million bond, $60 million was identified by the district as critical needs. GPPSS then invited the community to apply to serve on a bond advisory committee (BAC) to determine the remaining $60 million of projects. The BAC met four times throughout the spring of 2025. All of the materials provided to the BAC are available here:

Committee Information

03.10.2025 Bond Advisory Presentation

04.09.2025 Q & A

04.09.2025 BAC Presentation

05.21.2025_BAC_Meeting_Slides

05.28.2025_BAC_Meeting_Slides

06.11.2025_BAC_BOErecommendation_Slides

On June 11th, the BAC made a presentation of its recommendation at the televised board meeting. On June 23, the board unanimously approved the ballot language to be placed before voters on November 4. On November 4, the community passed the bond with a 70% approval rate.

The 2025 Bond will impact every school, numerous community spaces, and provide the opportunity to enhance the daily experience of our students and staff. 

If the bond passes, GPPSS will continue to have one of the lowest millage rates compared to similar communities.

The bond proposal encompasses a variety of critical needs that affect both learning and operational costs.

Energy-efficient upgrades to mechanical systems impact the learning environment. Students learn better when they are comfortable in well-lit spaces. Adding an ADA-compliant elevator at Pierce Middle School allows all students and staff to have access to the learning environment on the second floor, including our science labs. Relocating the South High School office continues our work to provide the safest and most secure entrances for our schools. Furniture upgrades mean students and staff have access to modern learning spaces integrated within our historic buildings. Flexible seating enables classrooms to adapt to instructional needs throughout the day, tailoring the educational experience to meet the unique needs of each student. The investment in our Art and Career and Technical Education spaces, such as the TV Production studio, demonstrates our commitment to preparing students for their future and providing opportunities to explore their areas of interest and inspiration. Proposed upgrades to the performing arts center, which is used by our whole district and many community groups, don’t just include our performance space. They also include classrooms where users practice daily for those concerts, plays, and ceremonies.

The following proposed projects will take place since the 2025 Bond program passed:

Elementary Schools

Modern furniture, fixtures, & learning equipment, energy efficiency upgrades, ceiling replacements, and new boilers to reduce operational costs

Middle Schools

Modern furniture, fixtures, & learning equipment, energy efficiency upgrades, ceiling replacements, Repurpose the Parcells pool space, ADA-compliant Pierce Middle School elevator, and new boilers to reduce operational costs 

High Schools

South High School office relocation, South High School media center, North and South art, career & technical education spaces, locker rooms, and new boilers to reduce operational costs 

Community

Demolition, & addition of post-tension concrete & lighting at Elworthy tennis courts (home of South High School tennis), performing arts center auditorium at North, landscaping & fencing, and turf practice fields at North & South High Schools

Projects will be strategically planned and implemented through market analysis, bid packaging, and timing strategies, with bi-annual board updates to provide transparency and accountability. Check back on this page as projects start in the summer of 2026. Quarterly dashboards and a photo gallery will help keep the community informed of progress with their investment.

Through a careful review of all our facilities with outside consultants at Plante Moran Realpoint who have worked with some of the largest school districts, including many of our peer districts, GPPSS identified $240 million in capital needs for 2024. 

The 2024 sinking fund program generates approximately $11 million annually over the next 10 years (a total of $110 million of the identified needs). The focus areas of the sinking fund include:

• Safety & Security - Camera systems, secure entrances, updated fire alarm systems
• Technology - Smartboards, learning devices, instructional software, computers & networks
• Building Improvements - District-wide roofing improvements, parking lots, sidewalks, mechanical systems, and code compliance

This bond will be used to address many of the remaining capital needs that have been identified. Of the $120 million proposed in this bond, $60 million was identified by GPPSS staff and Plante Moran Realpoint as critical building needs. A bond advisory committee of three board members, 11 administrators, a GPEA union representative, and 19 diverse community members was assembled. The bond advisory brought forward their recommendation to the Board of Education on June 11, 2025. It passed the BOE unanimously and was then placed before voters November 4, 2025. Voters approved the bond with a 70% passage rate.

A sinking fund is used on a “pay as you go basis,” and all monies collected are utilized to benefit the district directly. A bond is a form of borrowing, which means the district must pay back the borrowed funds over the years with interest. A sinking fund millage is levied, not borrowed, which means the revenues are generated from a tax and do not include the district taking on additional debt or expenses.

Under current state law, bond dollars may be used for the construction, equipping, furnishing and remodeling of facilities, purchasing instructional technology equipment, and site improvements. Bond proceeds may not be used to pay teacher or administrator salaries, routine maintenance or repair costs, or other school district operating expenses.

In the 2024-25 school year, the North Performing Arts Center Auditorium hosted 38 events across the district, including band, orchestra, and choir concerts, vocal music concerts, information nights, honors nights, musicals, plays, and more. Those events do not include rehearsal time for the plays, musicals, or staff and board meetings held in the auditorium, or student use for classes and clubs. On average, the auditorium hosts 700 guests (out of the 775 seats available) per event, totaling approximately 26,600 visitors annually.

By upgrading infrastructure, such as energy-efficient mechanical systems and replacing classroom desks with flexible learning spaces, the bond supports educational goals by providing students and staff with a safe, comfortable, and modern learning environment within our historic buildings.

Email any questions to info@gpschools.org or call 313-432-3003. If you belong to a community group that would like to schedule a presentation, use that same email and phone number to let us know when and where you meet, and we can schedule a representative to make a presentation for your organization and answer questions.

Compared to nearby school districts, GPPSS maintain a low millage rate consisting of debt levy and sinking fund levy.

Sinking funds are steady, smaller streams of tax revenue collected annually over a defined period of time for repairing and replacing school property, school security equipment, and instructional technology equipment. These funds are different from a bond because they do not require the added cost of debt service. What is raised annually is what you have to spend.

Safety and Security - Camera systems, secure entrances, updated fire alarm systems
Technology - Smartboards, learning devices, instructional software, computers and networks
Building Improvements - District-wide roofing improvements, parking lots, sidewalks, mechanical systems and code compliance
 

Yes. The sinking fund increased the millage rate from 1 mill to 3 mills. A mill is $1 in taxes on every $1000 on a property’s taxable value. For example, a home with a market value of $300,000 has a taxable value of $150,000; that equates to $150 in taxes per mill or $450/year.

Yes. Voters passed the November 2024 sinking fund proposal with a 66% approval rating. Because we are a winter tax rate collection district, the first time the sinking fund was reflected in local taxes was December of 2025.