Macomb, MI: District opens $70M school for "300 students with significant disabilities"

Aug 28, 2026, Detroit Free Press: New center for students with special needs opening in Sterling Heights - AOL

The Macomb Intermediate School District (MISD) is opening a new facility in Sterling Heights to meet the educational, medical and therapeutic needs of 300 students with significant disabilities.

The Donald Bollinger Education Center, 8566 Irving Road, is a 140,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility with a gym, therapeutic pool, playground, splash pad and other essential features for students and their families. The project cost roughly $70 million, MISD Superintendent Michael DeVault told the Free Press on Friday, Aug. 28.

He said the facility replaces a 70- to 80-year-old elementary building that served students for decades. . . .

Macomb County provides a comprehensive continuum of special education services and support for children and young adults from birth through age 26. MISD serves local school districts throughout the county with specialized services and support programs, as well as educational leadership.

The new center will provide specialized educational opportunities and support services for students with complex medical needs that require nursing care, including ventilators, tracheostomies, feeding tubes and other specialized health care support.

In addition to educational programming, MISD said in a release, the center will have therapeutic services and learning environments, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language services, sensory rooms, motor development rooms and dedicated therapy spaces.

The center is named for Bollinger, a longtime educator, and will be open to students and staff on Sept. 9. DeVault said teachers have the classrooms and facilities prepped.

The facility's cost was paid with funds from an MISD special education facilities improvement bond, which was approved by more than 70% of the county's voters in 2022. The MISD also covers parts of St. Clair and Oakland counties.

The MISD planned to borrow not more than $97 million and issue general obligation unlimited tax bonds for capital projects to serve special education students, including infants and toddlers, throughout Macomb County with disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, cognitive impairments and emotional disabilities, according to the 2022 ballot language. . . .