School City of Mishawaka considers up to 7 million bond to fund building repairs

MISHIWAKA, Ind. -- As students return to the classroom, the School City of Mishawaka is moving forward with plans to secure funding for major building improvements, including roof repairs at Mishawaka High School and John Young Middle School.

The Mishawaka School Board held a series of public hearings Wednesday on a proposal to issue general obligation bonds, which would allow the district to borrow up to 7 million for capital improvement projects.

Superintendent Theodore Stevens said the district has identified aging roofs at both Mishawaka High School and John Young Middle School as priorities.

While portions of each building have been repaired in recent years, the work was never fully completed.

“We've had portions of that roof completed, but other portions are now expired or past their useful lifespan." Stevens said.

District officials said the projects that would ultimately be funded by the bond have not yet been finalized but would focus on essential capital improvements that help maintain safe and functional school facilities.

"In a perfect world, you would have these savings accrued and ready to go," Stevens said. "But we don't always live in that perfect world when projects arrive. And of course, capital projects come with some fairly hefty price tags."

School officials said the proposed bond would be repaid through the district's existing general fund and would not result in an increase to local property taxes.

The financing would allow the district to complete necessary repairs sooner rather than waiting to accumulate enough cash reserves to pay for projects outright.

Any projects funded through the bond would require approval from the board before construction begins.