(Ed. Note: This is the first in a two-part series on the Nov. 4 bond issue for Zeeland Public Schools. The second story will appear in the Oct. 30 edition of the Zeeland Record.)
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
When Zeeland Public Schools last sought a bond issue, the district planned to ask voters to approve a $136 million proposal in May 2020.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the district holding off on putting the proposal on the ballot. The school board then scaled back the bond issue to a $75 million proposal that voters approved the following year.
Now, ZPS is asking for approval of a much larger proposal than the original 2020 bond – a $186.4 million proposal that will not increase the district’s debt service millage. That proposal is on the Nov. 4 ballot.
One of the key differences between the original 2020 bond and the one that voters will decide on next month focuses on the future of Creekside Middle School. In 2020, ZPS planned to build a new middle school closer to Quincy Street, and relocate Creekside to the new building. The existing Creekside would then have been the home of specialty programs such as Spanish immersion and Z-Quest, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Jon Voss said.
“The 2020 bond was going to have four phases, and when we went back to the community in 2021, we scaled it back to three phases with a wait-and-see approach about the need for a new Creekside,” Voss said.
“With our current enrollment trends, we did not think that a new Creekside made as much sense in 2025.”
Enrollment at Creekside has dropped in recent years, from 624 students in the 2019-20 school year to 577 in 2024-25, according to mischooldata.org.
The new bond issue would expand and renovate Creekside, most notably construction of four new classrooms to the north of the sixth-grade wing. Other spaces would be repurposed, with a total net gain of six new classrooms once everything is completed.
“We have multiple outdoor portables on the north side of Creekside,” ZPS Superintendent Rod Hetherton said. “This would allow all students to be in the building at all times and create space for them to learn and grow. The hallways will be enlarged as we remove the lockers, and the gymnasium will be expanded to accommodate all students in this vital area of student life.”
ZPS’ elementary buildings are in line for upgrades under the bond issue, with an emphasis on the district’s older buildings – Lincoln, New Groningen and Roosevelt.
“When it comes to the classrooms, older classrooms show some wear and tear, so in the older buildings, there can be a need for things like new carpets, cabinets, shelves, etc.,” Voss said. “Our architectural firm did a thorough assessment of all buildings, and we have reports that detail everything from things that need to be updated or replaced ASAP to things that may need to be replaced in the next three to five years, to things that are just fine and may not need to be updated or replaced for many years. We will use this assessment as our guide when it comes to the buildings.”
All of the district’s elementary playgrounds would be updated in the new bond issue. Infrastructure such as updated heating and cooling systems, electrical and mechanical systems and roofing would also be included.
In addition, the district’s transportation and maintenance facilities would be upgraded. Both are more than 30 years old and have some of the same infrastructure issues as the elementary buildings, such as heating and cooling, roofing, windows and doors, Voss said.
“When it comes to the maintenance facility, a big issue is storage. That facility houses equipment used by grounds and maintenance, as well as materials that schools do not need at this time but do not want to throw away,” Voss said. “This is further complicated by the fact the main storage space used by maintenance now needs to be torn down to make room for the community track north of Creekside.”
Other projects that would be funded by the bond issue include:
• Improvements to DeWitt Auditorium at Zeeland East High School that include seating, flooring, lighting and sound.
• Updating all aspects of Lokers Auditorium of Cityside Middle School, including seating, flooring, lighting and sound. A new choir room would be built on the southeast side of the building and the existing choir room would become backstage space.
• Upgrades at Zeeland Stadium, including new bleachers, no longer built into the side of a hill, that include more seating and better sightlines for handicapped seating, a larger entry area that will allow for better flow of patrons in and out of the stadium, remodeled locker rooms and bathrooms and press box improvements.
• Creating a large multi-use building where the current Zeeland West soccer field now sits that would include turf and an indoor track, as well as a portable floor that could be used for dance or other large-group activities.
• Create shared space at Zeeland West for the school’s robotics program and the new public safety course.
The 2021 bond issue funded the addition of six new classrooms at Adams Elementary School, classroom renovations at Cityside, expansion of the district’s sports complex, new science and technology labs at Zeeland East, equipment upgrades in industrial arts and skilled trades spaces at Zeeland West and renovations to the Early Childhood Center.
Next Thursday’s bond issue preview will include information on proposed improvements to performing arts facilities such as the DeWitt Auditorium as well as athletic facilities such as Zeeland Stadium.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
When Zeeland Public Schools last sought a bond issue, the district planned to ask voters to approve a $136 million proposal in May 2020.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the district holding off on putting the proposal on the ballot. The school board then scaled back the bond issue to a $75 million proposal that voters approved the following year.
Now, ZPS is asking for approval of a much larger proposal than the original 2020 bond – a $186.4 million proposal that will not increase the district’s debt service millage. That proposal is on the Nov. 4 ballot.
One of the key differences between the original 2020 bond and the one that voters will decide on next month focuses on the future of Creekside Middle School. In 2020, ZPS planned to build a new middle school closer to Quincy Street, and relocate Creekside to the new building. The existing Creekside would then have been the home of specialty programs such as Spanish immersion and Z-Quest, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services Jon Voss said.
“The 2020 bond was going to have four phases, and when we went back to the community in 2021, we scaled it back to three phases with a wait-and-see approach about the need for a new Creekside,” Voss said.
“With our current enrollment trends, we did not think that a new Creekside made as much sense in 2025.”
Enrollment at Creekside has dropped in recent years, from 624 students in the 2019-20 school year to 577 in 2024-25, according to mischooldata.org.
The new bond issue would expand and renovate Creekside, most notably construction of four new classrooms to the north of the sixth-grade wing. Other spaces would be repurposed, with a total net gain of six new classrooms once everything is completed.
“We have multiple outdoor portables on the north side of Creekside,” ZPS Superintendent Rod Hetherton said. “This would allow all students to be in the building at all times and create space for them to learn and grow. The hallways will be enlarged as we remove the lockers, and the gymnasium will be expanded to accommodate all students in this vital area of student life.”
ZPS’ elementary buildings are in line for upgrades under the bond issue, with an emphasis on the district’s older buildings – Lincoln, New Groningen and Roosevelt.
“When it comes to the classrooms, older classrooms show some wear and tear, so in the older buildings, there can be a need for things like new carpets, cabinets, shelves, etc.,” Voss said. “Our architectural firm did a thorough assessment of all buildings, and we have reports that detail everything from things that need to be updated or replaced ASAP to things that may need to be replaced in the next three to five years, to things that are just fine and may not need to be updated or replaced for many years. We will use this assessment as our guide when it comes to the buildings.”
All of the district’s elementary playgrounds would be updated in the new bond issue. Infrastructure such as updated heating and cooling systems, electrical and mechanical systems and roofing would also be included.
In addition, the district’s transportation and maintenance facilities would be upgraded. Both are more than 30 years old and have some of the same infrastructure issues as the elementary buildings, such as heating and cooling, roofing, windows and doors, Voss said.
“When it comes to the maintenance facility, a big issue is storage. That facility houses equipment used by grounds and maintenance, as well as materials that schools do not need at this time but do not want to throw away,” Voss said. “This is further complicated by the fact the main storage space used by maintenance now needs to be torn down to make room for the community track north of Creekside.”
Other projects that would be funded by the bond issue include:
• Improvements to DeWitt Auditorium at Zeeland East High School that include seating, flooring, lighting and sound.
• Updating all aspects of Lokers Auditorium of Cityside Middle School, including seating, flooring, lighting and sound. A new choir room would be built on the southeast side of the building and the existing choir room would become backstage space.
• Upgrades at Zeeland Stadium, including new bleachers, no longer built into the side of a hill, that include more seating and better sightlines for handicapped seating, a larger entry area that will allow for better flow of patrons in and out of the stadium, remodeled locker rooms and bathrooms and press box improvements.
• Creating a large multi-use building where the current Zeeland West soccer field now sits that would include turf and an indoor track, as well as a portable floor that could be used for dance or other large-group activities.
• Create shared space at Zeeland West for the school’s robotics program and the new public safety course.
The 2021 bond issue funded the addition of six new classrooms at Adams Elementary School, classroom renovations at Cityside, expansion of the district’s sports complex, new science and technology labs at Zeeland East, equipment upgrades in industrial arts and skilled trades spaces at Zeeland West and renovations to the Early Childhood Center.
Next Thursday’s bond issue preview will include information on proposed improvements to performing arts facilities such as the DeWitt Auditorium as well as athletic facilities such as Zeeland Stadium.
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