Comstock Public Schools cut the ribbon on a new STEM Academy building on Thursday, marking the district's first new school construction in 54 years. The kindergarten-through-eighth-grade academy now sits on East Main Street, right next door to Comstock Elementary School, replacing a program that had operated out of a building dating back to 1949.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew speeches from Comstock Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Thoenes, STEM Academy Principal Christopher Chopp, and student Layne Harris, according to MLive.com, whose gallery documented the event. The Comstock Board of Education also took part in cutting the ribbon that day. Student Magnolia Schaeffer showed off her new locker inside the building, per the same outlet's coverage of the opening.
The project traces back to a bond proposal that Comstock Township voters approved in May 2022, which cleared the way for construction to begin in 2024, according to WKZO. Construction ran from 2024 into mid-2026, the station reports, culminating in this week's opening.
A Long-Overdue Upgrade From a 1949 Building
Before moving into its new home, the STEM Academy operated out of the former East Elementary building, which was constructed in 1949 and stood as the oldest operating building in the district, according to a Comstock Public Schools communication. That aging structure had long limited what teachers could do with the program's hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math curriculum, which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
District educators say the new building solves two of the old facility's biggest headaches: cramped instructional space and no central air conditioning, per WKZO's reporting. The new STEM Academy includes a gym, cafeteria, media room, music room, art room, extended learning space, outdoor classroom, and a dedicated robotics room, according to MLive.com's photo gallery from the opening. Teacher Jan Kiino, who has taught at Comstock for 30 years, is among the staff now working in the new space.
Decades Between Major Capital Projects
The new building's completion caps a long stretch without major facility investment in Comstock Public Schools. The district went roughly 25 years, from 1991 to 2016, without passing a major capital bond, according to a Comstock Public Schools video posted to Facebook, a gap that left a backlog of deferred building maintenance across the district.
Even with recent facility bonds now behind it, Comstock Public Schools has maintained one of the lowest debt millage rates among school districts in the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency region, per the district's own materials. The STEM Academy's curriculum also draws support from an active STEM Advisory Board with representatives from regional employers and institutions including Stryker, Pfizer, Kellogg, Zoetis, Eaton, and Western Michigan University, according to a Comstock Public Schools document. That industry backing helped earn the school recognition as a Project Lead The Way Distinguished Program for the 2024-2025 academic year, per Project Lead The Way.
Another Bond Measure Already on the Ballot
The STEM Academy is enrolling students and will be open for the 2026-27 school year, but the district's facility plans aren't finished. Comstock Public Schools has placed a new $23.7 million bond proposal on the November 3 ballot, which would fund converting the former STEM building's health room into a dedicated robotics classroom along with district-wide safety upgrades, according to Comstock Public Schools.
The proposal would also repurpose other portions of the vacated former STEM building for specialized classroom use, per the district's ballot materials. For a district that spent a quarter-century without major building investment, the back-to-back projects mark a notable shift in how Comstock Township voters are being asked to fund their schools' future.
