Could a different kind of bond be used to improve school buildings?
Would help make school just that much more interesting to go to every day. One bond, a capital appreciation bonds which is a bond that is available right away but it takes time for people to pay it off. However, the interest grows making it more expensive in the long run for people who still live there, considering lots of people still live around Jenison I don’t think this vote would ever pass.
One school in NY used a bond called capital appreciation bonds which gives a significant amount of money right away. However, it takes many years for people to start paying it off. Causing many people to appreciate school more even the JCA is a fun space to be in. Because of how current it is and how refreshing the advanced space is. If the high school looked anything like that I know for a fact I would enjoy it more, I have spent many hours in the JCA and I can say for a fact that it is a more enjoyable space to be in. This is due to the fact that the facility is more delightful and a joy to work in and use.
“So in 2009, the Santa Ana Unified School District borrowed $35 million using an inventive if increasingly controversial method known as capital appreciation bonds,” NY Times Ian Lovett
Lots of schools that have undergone renovations are more enjoyable for students. Bonds are useful for the schools because they allow them to build new classrooms and to improve the overall feel of the school building. While these long terms bonds might work, normal bonds are what we need to fix up the high school and make it more enjoyable to come to every day. A normal bond costs 2 to 3 times the original amount borrowed.
However, in the state of Michigan it is illegal to use Capital Appreciation bonds, they are not good for taxpayers.
Nonetheless, they could be useful for improving the school and worrying about the money later but it is illegal in Michigan as of writing. Capital Appreciation bonds are illegal in Michigan. A school enhancement would be huge for the current students and for the students after us. The school feels ancient and washed out and not engaging. It feels like the same thing every day for 4 years. I assume something can be done to make the school feel less like a prison and more like somewhere that people enjoy coming to every single day I am sure many students would agree that the High School feels pretty old compared to other schools that were built more recently. For example, I have gone to Grandville a couple of times and the atmosphere is so much different and feels so much more refreshing than Jenison. Perhaps it is just the fact that it is new to me but I think it is because the building was built more recently. Could capital appreciation bonds on to improve our school?
Tobias is a senior at Jenison High School. Tobias participates in the pit orchestra, marching band, wind symphony, and is a member of NHS.