ESSEXVILLE, MI – The Essexville-Hampton Board of Education voted to postpone its planned November bond proposal until 2026, opting instead for an extended period of community engagement and planning.

Superintendent Davion Lewis, who was authorized on July 18 to proceed with a bond resolution for the November 2025 ballot , recommended delaying the measure after identifying gaps in infant and toddler care services. The decision came after learning that a primary childcare facility in the area closed on June 30, leaving the local YMCA with a growing waitlist.

“There is a desperate need for infant and toddler care in our community,” Lewis said. “I could not in good conscience recommend that we move forward with a proposal that would eliminate potential services for infant and toddler care.

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