About 50 people, most of them students but many Hope Public Schools faculty members, administrators and other Hope community members joined with the Friends of Hope Schools to canvas neighborhoods in the school district to remind voters the Warm Safe Dry Millage increase proposal is on the March 3rd primary ballot and early voting has already begun.

The group first gathered at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday in the boardroom of the former Garland Elementary campus for an information session and to be gathered into several groups that then fanned out in and around the city to knock on doors, speak with voters and leave information cards concerning the millage raise request, which would take the rate for the school millage from 34.7 to 39.7.  

Plans are to convene again Saturday February 28th again at 9:00 a.m. at the former Garland Elementary to meet, orient and start door-knocking again on the last Saturday prior to vote-counting which begins the evening of March 3rd. Volunteers are welcome.

The groups further divided into duos when they got to their respective neighborhoods.  If voters weren’t home, Friends of Hope Schools left postcards with information about the millage as well as ways to see more information on the HPS website about the millage itself and the use of its proceeds to address HVAC issues and playground drainage problems at Clinton Primary, student and staff safety on all campuses, the need for new science lab equipment and climate control work at Hope High, easing traffic flow and parking at Yerger and replacing library furniture and buying turf for use at both Yerger and Beryl Henry.  

Illustrations of the proposed improvements can be found on the HPS website as well.