In Brief: Voters Asked to Approve Millage for Special Education Funding on Nov. 8

On Nov. 8, Macomb Township residents will be asked to vote on a special education mill of which the proceeds will be used to offset state and federal funding losses in the county's 21 local districts and the Macomb Intermediate School District.

The 1.2-mill property tax proposal is expected to raise $27.5 million, or $206 per pupil across the county when first levied in 2011. According to the MISD, this is approximately one-fourth of the $785 per student local schools are losing annually as compared to 2008 funding.

One hundred percent of the proceeds raised will fund local education programs, including programs for 20,000 special education students, which is now one in every seven students in the county, according to the MISD. 

These funds will relieve local districts such as Chippewa Valley, L'Anse Creuse, New Haven and Utica from having to use portions of general education funds for special education services.

"I want the taxpayers and voters to know our district makes a significant contribution to the cost of special education–this year we will spend $6.5 million on special education from general education funds," said Superintendent Ron Roberts, of Chippewa Valley Schools. "This (ballot proposal) allows us to spend millage money on special education and free up money we would normally have spent on general education."

For taxpayers doing the math, the 1.2-mill increase equates to $1.20 per thousand dollars of taxable value, meaning the average homeowner would pay 20 cents per day, or $71.56 per year.

Homeowners can calculate their exact cost with a special program on the MISD website.

If approved, the mill will be imposed for a period of 20 years, or 2011-2030, and the revenue from this millage will benefit Macomb's 21 school districts.

This proposal was endorsed by the Macomb County School Superintendents Association, requested by all 21 school districts in the county and finally approved by the MISD Board of Education on Aug. 4.

To find your voting precinct on Nov. 8, visit the Michigan Votes website.