Ann Arbor school board meets Tuesday to finalize technology bond

By Kyle Feldscher Crime and courts reporter

Posted on Mon, Aug 8, 2011 : 2:01 p.m.

The Ann Arbor school board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday to take the first step in approving the language of a technology bond for the November ballot.

The meeting will take place in the conference room at the Balas Administration Building, 2555 State St.

Discussions on whether to ask voters to approve a bond to improve the district's technology began during the budget approval earlier this year and led to the school board deciding in July to ask voters for a new 0.5-mill tax.

Deputy superintendent of operations Robert Allen told the school board in July that the district finished phase one of a major technology upgrade in the district in 2009. The plan was for that upgrade to continue two years 2 years. However, the district does not have the money to continue the upgrade.

File photo

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

Allen said the district will need $30.8 million to upgrade technology during the next 10 years to pay for the new technology.

Voters last approved a bond to upgrade technology in 2004.

The new 0.5-mill tax would cost the owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 an additional $50 per year.

The school board has until Aug. 16 to approve the language of the bond initiative. The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday and there are no other school board meetings scheduled before Aug. 16.