Voters Pass Plymouth-Canton Schools Bond Proposal

As votes were tallied on Tuesday, Plymouth-Canton Community School Board President John Barrett was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, visiting his daughter who is expecting a child any day now. On his way to her house for dinner, a rainbow appeared.

"I thought to myself, either the baby is going to be born or the bond passed," he said. "And it turned out the bond passed!"

The $114.4 million bond proposal passed with a little more than 65 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Wayne County Clerk.

Barrett said he was thrilled, but surprised at the margin.

"I'm surprised because I know there was a large last-minute effort by a number of people to put out 'vote no' signs and sent emails out - we were all a little bit worried about how this might all turn out," Barrett said. "But I have to give everybody credit because all the municipalities involved - Canton, Plymouth Township and Plymouth. It had the universal appeal to it that everybody recognized that this needed to happen."

The district will use bond proceeds to build a new middle school in Canton, replacing the outdated Central Middle School, make improvements to district facilities, upgrade technology equipment and infrastructure and replace buses. 

"This is really a blessing," Barrett said about the bond passing. "There was just a big article on CNN today about how STEM programs are crucially needed across the country - there are not enough of them is what this program was saying. And here we are in Plymouth-Canton, with not only a STEM program at the high school, but this bond is going to allow us to have STEM programs in all five middle schools. It just shows that we're thinking in the right direction to help make our students more competitive."

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and the program focuses on teaching students the ability to think critically, solve complex problems and drive advancements in science and technology.

Barrett called the bond a win, win for students, staff and the community, since "property values are tied to the strength of the school district."