Voting Precincts

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Voting Precincts

November 4, 2025
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Today is an “off-year” federal election but there are many appeals to voters for more money to build new, or expand or maintain educational settlements.  We may have to pick through a few bond offerings.   We maintain an ongoing concern for the security of polling places; many which are located in schools, colleges and universities.

In the United States, polling places can be located in a variety of public and private facilities, not just in public schools. While public schools are commonly used as polling places due to their widespread distribution and accessibility, they are not necessarily the largest proportion of polling places nationwide. The specific locations of polling places can vary by jurisdiction and are determined by local election officials. Other common polling place locations include community centers, churches, libraries, government buildings, and private residences.

The selection of polling places is based on factors like accessibility, convenience, and the need to accommodate a specific number of voters within a given precinct or district. The goal is to ensure that voters have reasonable access to cast their ballots on election day. The use of public schools as polling places is widespread but not universal, and the distribution of polling places across various types of facilities can vary from one region to another.

2024 International Building Code Appendix E: Supplementary Accessibility Requirements

NFPA 730 Guide to Premises Security: 2026 First Draft Report | Consultation closes January 3, 2025

“Election Day” 1944″ Norman Rockwell

The political party that claims that “democracy is at stake” today’s election is the same political party that seeks to federalize state election laws, pack the Supreme Court, remove the Electoral College, remove US national borders and abolish voter identification will be voting in today’s off-year elections.   In other words: it wants to abolish democracy.  Its partisans have long since metastasized in education communities where polling places for students, faculty, staff and nearby residents are hosted.

Join us in post-irony America today when we focus only on the safety and environmental condition of these polling places.   Where there is closer agreement.  Catalogs, titles, chapters, sections and passages that inform best practice on this topic:

Can Voters Detect Malicious Manipulation of Ballot Marking Devices?

 

International Code Council

International Building Code

A117 Accessible and Useable Buildings and Facilities

National Fire Protection Association

Life Safety Code

Premises Security

ASHRAE International

Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

Illumination Engineering Society

Designing Lighting for People and Buildings

Security 100

Sacramento County: Polling Place and Vote Center Management

 

Tax-Free Bonds

November 4, 2025
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Current Referenda | Ballotpedia

Perspective:

  • The largest school bond referendum on ballots in November 2025 is the $1.4 billion package for Richardson Independent School District (ISD) in Texas.
  • University of Michigan’s 2025  $2 billion general revenue bonds
  • New York University’s 2025 $2.18 billion bonds through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York
  • The largest school bond referendum on ballots in November 2024 was Measure US for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in California, totaling $9 billion.
  • In the November 2022 elections, a significant number of school bond referenda were presented to voters across the United States. For example, in Wisconsin alone, there were 57 successful capital referenda amounting to nearly $2.1 billion in authorized debt​ (Wisconsin Policy Forum)
  • In Texas, Central Texas schools had a total of $4.24 billion in bonds on the ballot, covering various propositions for school facilities, technology improvements, and athletic facilities​ (Fox 7 Austin)
  • In California and Arkansas, bond measures totaling $74 million — including school choice — were aimed at addressing school facility improvements​ (The74Million)
  • Voters in 16 North Carolina counties approved bond issues totaling $4.27 billion, with $3.08 billion dedicated to K-12 public school construction and improvements​ (EducationNC)

 

“The cure for high prices, is high prices” — They say.

Today we explore fiscal runaway in the US education “industry” with particular interest in the financing instruments for building the real assets that are the beating heart of culture in neighborhoods, cities, counties and states.  We steer clear of social and political issues.  The marketing of these projects — and how the loans are paid off — provides insight into the costs and benefits of this $100+ billion industry; the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States.

Educational Settlement Finance

We cannot do much to stop the hyperbolically rising cost of administrative functionaries but we can force the incumbents we describe in our ABOUT to work a little harder to reduce un-used (or un-useable) space and reduce maintenance cost.  Sometimes simple questions result in obvious answers that result in significant savings.

More recently hybrid teaching and learning space, owing the the circumstances of the pandemic, opens new possibilities for placing downward pressure on cost.

What the University of Michigan has done to reduce the life cycle cost of the real assets of educational settlements


Gallery: School Bond Referenda


Regulation or Money-Laundering?

After Architect-Engineers and Building Construction Contractors (many of whom finance election advocacy enterprises) the following organizations are involved in placing a bond on the open market:

  1. School Districts: Individual school districts issue bonds to fund construction or renovation of school facilities, purchase equipment, or cover other educational expenses. Each school district is responsible for managing its own bond issuances.
  2. Colleges and Universities: Higher education institutions, such as universities and colleges, issue bonds to finance campus expansions, construction of new academic buildings, dormitories, research facilities, and other capital projects.
  3. State-Level Agencies: Many states have agencies responsible for overseeing and coordinating bond issuances for schools and universities. These agencies may facilitate bond sales, help ensure compliance with state regulations, and provide financial assistance to educational institutions.
  4. Municipal Finance Authorities: Municipal finance authorities at the state or local level often play a role in facilitating bond transactions for educational entities. They may act as intermediaries in the bond issuance process.
  5. Investment Banks and Underwriters: Investment banks and underwriters assist educational institutions in structuring and selling their bonds to investors. They help determine bond terms, market the bonds, and manage the offering.
  6. Bond Counsel: Bond counsel, typically law firms, provide legal advice to educational institutions on bond issuances. They help ensure that the bond issuance complies with all legal requirements and regulations.
  7. Rating Agencies: Rating agencies, such as Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, and Fitch Ratings, assess the creditworthiness of the bonds and assign credit ratings. These ratings influence the interest rates at which the bonds can be issued.
  8. Investors: Various institutional and individual investors, including mutual funds, pension funds, and individual bond buyers, purchase school and university bonds as part of their investment portfolios.
  9. Financial Advisors: Financial advisory firms provide guidance to educational institutions on bond issuances, helping them make informed financial decisions related to borrowing and debt management.
  10. Regulatory Authorities: Federal and state regulatory authorities, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state-specific agencies, oversee and regulate the issuance of bonds to ensure compliance with securities laws and financial regulations.

These organizations collectively contribute to the process of issuing, selling, and managing school and university bonds in the United States, allowing educational institutions to raise the necessary funds for their capital projects and operations. The specific entities involved may vary depending on the size and location of the educational institution and the nature of the bond issuance.

Bond issuances affect local property values.

 

Salutariness

November 3, 2025
mike@standardsmichigan.com
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Salutariness (Cleanliness) standards follow culture (which follows the science which follows water and chemical management systems).   What is considered clean or hygienic in one culture may differ from what is considered clean or hygienic in another culture.  In some cultures, it is customary to remove shoes before entering a home, as it is considered unclean to wear shoes indoors.  In Japan, it is customary to take a bath or shower before entering a public bathhouse or hot spring, as it is considered unclean to enter a communal bath without washing first.  Most public swimming pools in the United States conform to a similar standard.

In some cultures, it is customary to eat with one’s hands, while in others, using utensils is the norm. Similarly, in some cultures, it is customary to clean one’s hands and face before eating, while in others, it is not considered necessary.  Cleanliness standards can also vary depending on the level of economic development, access to clean water and sanitation facilities, and public health policies in different countries.  Mahatma Gandhi believed that promoting cleanliness and hygiene could help in building a strong and self-sufficient nation.

“Harlem school custodian to retire, gets cafeteria dedicated to him” | Rockford Register Star

At 15:00 UTC today we review best practice literature for hygiene in education community interior spaces; including related accessory technologies.  Owing to the circumstances of the pandemic we have rewritten our past coverage of this topic for 2022.

Among the standards setting organizations active in this domain: (Short List)

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASME: Personal hygiene devices for water closets.

American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE International)

American Society of Safety Professionals

American Water Works Association

“No Water Fact Sheet”

“Responding to Water Stagnation in Buildings with Reduced or No Water Use” 

Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA)

Cleaning Operations

International Association of Plumbing Mechanical Officials (IAPMO Group)

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers

Prospect of Solar-assisted Heat Pump Water Heating Systems for Student Residences

Identification of Legionella Species by Photogate-Type Optical Sensor

Smart Biosensor for Rapid and Simultaneous Detection of Waterborne Pathogens in Tap Water

Innovative UV-C LED Disinfection Systems for DrinkingWater Treatment

Temperature Distributions and Bacterial Growth Implications in a Hot Water Storage Tank under Scheduled Draw-off and Heating Cycles

Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification

International Code Council

International Building Code: Chapter 12 Interior Environment

International Mechanical Code: Ventilation

International Plumbing Code: Sanitary Drainage

International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association

International Sanitary Supply Association

Design Guidelines

University of Pittsburgh

National Air Duct Cleaners Association

Standard for Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration of HVAC Systems

National Fire Protection Association

“NFPA responds to the coronavirus”

Health Care Facilities Code

National Sanitation Foundation  (Several titles)

“Germiest Places at Schools”

Occupational Safety & Health Administration

CFR 1910.141 Sanitation

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Simon Institute

Cleaning Chemical Safety

State and Federal Regulations Open for Comment

We place public consultation deadlines at top priority in the time available and will schedule a separate break-out session to write and send comments.

Open to everyone.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Series 2025A and taxable Series 2025B

November 2, 2025
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Dia de los Muertos 2025

November 2, 2025
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Home

Los Angeles Unified School District

 

The Halloween Problem

November 2, 2025
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A well-intentioned query and the Halloween Problem

Anne Fitzpatrick

 

Abstract:  The author’s description of the Halloween Problem demonstrates the role of cautionary tales in the history of computing. The Halloween Problem emerged in the context of structured query language optimization in relational database research. Normally, a query optimizer works by measuring system calls and paging requests and applying heuristics to the entire access path tree. Query optimization was one of the most challenging tasks facing System R researchers at IBM. These experiments with query optimization form the milieu in which the Halloween Problem emerged.

 

 

 

Michigan Monroe County

November 1, 2025
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Mike Anthony family home.

General George Custer birthplace

 

Santa Clara University | “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” https://youtu.be/q7pZVRIo05U?si=F_b51knk_sQfv009

Evensong “Lullaby”

November 1, 2025
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Dutch Pea Soup (Erwtensoep)

November 1, 2025
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Charcuterie

November 1, 2025
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Charcuterie refers to a variety of cured meats, often accompanied by an assortment of cheeses, fruits, nuts, bread, and spreads. Originating from France, charcuterie was initially focused solely on prepared meat products, such as sausages, pâtés, and confits. Today, a charcuterie board is a popular way to serve an array of meats and complementary foods in a visually appealing and flavorful arrangement as demonstrated here for the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement by Alaura Westrol, Class of 2011.


 

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