SCIO TOWNSHIP, MI – Special needs education leaders in Washtenaw County are proposing a 0.37-mill tax increase to demolish and rebuild a school just outside Ann Arbor.

The Washtenaw Intermediate School District is considering putting the $53.2 million bond proposal before voters to fund the project at High Point School, 1735 S. Wagner Road in Scio Township. The special needs school shares a campus with Honey Creek Community School and serves students across the county.

The school board will consider the proposal in a 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 7 meeting at 1819 S. Wagner Road.

If OKed by the board, residents would vote on the ballot measure Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Maneuvering through a maze of narrow hallways and tight corners on the campus has been difficult for staff and students, many who use mobility devices that need extra hallway space, Superintendent Scott Menzel said.

“The building is almost 50 years old. It opened in 1975. There are significant limitations in terms of the infrastructure,” Menzel said. “(There are) a lot of exterior doors, which from an exit standpoint … makes sense. From a school safety and security point in the 21st century, that’s not a really good model at all.”

Here are five things to know about the proposal:

1. Conceptual plan

The proposed school would be 27,000-square-feet larger than the current building.

It would include 30 to 35 classrooms on one side of the building; additional rooms for use by physical therapists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and other special needs workers; new equipment and furniture; storage space, technological improvements and energy-efficient infrastructure.

Classrooms would be nearly 1,000 square feet with individual bathrooms.

Supplemental rooms would be added for meetings or future classrooms, and ramps would be built across the campus. The plan is to create a structure that would accommodate the program’s growth for the next 30 years, Menzel said.

The school’s bus drop-off area is currently uncovered and stretches away from the main entrance, causing difficulties for staff to assist wheelchair users during rain and snow. The district wants to add heated sidewalks with an overhead shield.

The school would accommodate students ages three to 26, with fenced-off playgrounds for different age groups. Every classroom would have windows for daylight.

Update: an earlier version of this story reported the school would accommodate K-8. It was changed to reflect the accurate age group.

A life skills area, cafeteria, media center, music room and art room are also planned.

2. How much it would cost homeowners

The 10-year, 0.37-mill tax increase would cover the demolition and new construction, costing the owner of a $300,000 home about $55.50 annually, or about $4.63 a month.

The district could set aside funds from a special education millage as an alternative, but it would not fully cover the costs needed, Menzel said.

3. How the money would be spent

The proposed $53.2 million in bond funding would pay to demolish the current structure and construct a new building, while keeping the gymnasium and pool in place.

Mechanical, electrical, technological and infrastructure development alone would cost $18 million, Menzel said.

The funds would also purchase new equipment and furniture, new information technology systems, refurbishment of the pool and gym, new playgrounds and landscaping.

4. Who can vote

The proposal would not appear on every Washtenaw County ballot, Menzel said. Rather, “it’s a constituent district vote of (Washtenaw Intermediate School District).”

Residents in Ann Arbor, Chelsea, Dexter, Lincoln, Manchester, Milan, Saline, Whitmore Lake and Ypsilanti school districts would vote for it on Aug. 6.

5) How long it will take

Moving staff and students out and beginning work by January 2020 is the goal, which would involve relocating programs.

The ideal scenario would be to move back in fall 2021, Menzel said.

Options for relocation include using empty school buildings the district may lease for an 18-month period, possibly in Ypsilanti.

Gretchen’s House, a private childcare center that uses a few classrooms in the same building, would not move with the High Point and Honey Creek schools during the temporary period. It would operate in an alternate facility, Menzel said.