By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Pending approval of the Board of Education, the Dearborn Public Schools administration will place its two millage renewal proposals on the November ballot.
Supt. Brian Whiston announced the decision at the Feb. 24 board meeting, three weeks after reminding the board that the district would have to bring the issue before the voters either in August or November to ensure that if they passed, they would go into effect before the current millages expire in June 2015.
The two millages are a hold harmless of 6.17 mills and a non-homestead of 18 mills. They generate a little over $38 million for the district, or approximately 22 percent of the total operating budget.
DPS Director of Business and Operations Samuel Barna said losing the millages would be “devastating” for the district.
The hold harmless millage is levied on homestead and qualified agricultural property only and provides a fixed amount of $593 per pupil.
Barna said that before Proposal A was passed by the state in 1994, $7,093 of foundation allowance was allocated per pupil in the district. Proposal A limits the allowable amount to $6,500.
The hold harmless millage makes up the difference for the district.
“These mills provide $11.5 million in resources for the district which are critical to operations,” Barna said. “It is the equivalent of having approximately 190 teachers in the district, so it’s really significant.”
The non-homestead renewal, which would apply to businesses and non-primary residences, generates almost $28 million for the district.
Board Trustee Aimee Schoelles said that it’s important for the board and administration to properly explain the renewals and their importance to the community, especially after voters approved a $76 million SMART bond for school projects last November.
“This is not for special projects or anything like that, this is the meat and potatoes of our budget,” Schoelles said.
Whiston said another fact for residents to remember is that these are renewals and not millage increases or new taxes.
“Nothing will change on your taxes if these are renewed, this just allows us to keep this funding source,” Whiston said.
He added that a resolution placing the issue on the November ballot would be before the board at its next meeting March 10 for approval.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected].)