Houghton Portage Township schools asks the district’s residents to fund a bond millage extension. since summer district officials have worked to inform the community about how millage may impact taxpayers. The bond would fund three phases of work, security and technology upgrades at facilities, new flex space in the elementary school, and starting an early childhood center. If passed the projects would place the district ahead of the state’s intentions for free pre-kindergarten programming for 4-year-olds.
We keep doing bond millages and adding on to the schools. This is another addition on a completely separate building. You know, is there ever going to be a cap on any of the grades? They’re going to keep moving forward. You know, we’ve got some big concerns on what’s happening with the other school districts. There’s significant enrollment drops there. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future if Fulton gets his bond issue through. And I think people are really concerned about the way they’re financing this thing. – Scott MacInnes, Resident, City of Houghton
Citizens who have voiced opposition to the bond millage extension say the district needs to grow smarter and not bigger. A resident of Houghton Scott MacInnes previously calculated how the millage would impact his home using additional information from the Michigan Department of Treasury.
Well, I looked at it as what it’s going to cost the taxpayer. You know, we don’t start making payments on a new bond issue if it passes. for about three or four years. So if you take a look at the average millage they came up with versus the average millage that the taxpayer is actually gonna be paying on a new bond issue, there’s a number of years difference. So there’s a difference there. The biggest difference here is that they do not calculate any increased value in the house over 30 years. And we know that’s gonna happen. So our calculations use 2.5%, which is the average since 1995. – Scott MacInnes
The district estimates a 100,000 dollar property would pay about 713 dollars toward the bond in the first year. After the millage rate begins to drop off, the final bond payment will come in 2055, when that same home will contribute 182 dollars toward the bond.
our information like i said it is vetted by the Michigan Department of Treasury uh… projecting a hundred and ten percent uh… increase in taxable value over the life of a bond i mean certainly a person could do that that’s not something that school districts i can do is is projecting make assumptions on what will happen but uh… i do know if my house is worth I live in west HOUGHTON a hundred and ten percent more in thirty years that’s a perfect thing – Anders Hill
Superintendent Anders Hill says the district’s need for additional space will make the district more efficient with smaller class sizes in the elementary. As a former elementary school principal Hill says that the greatest investment the district can focus on starts with the youngest grades. Over the past decade, the district has also seen the student population grow by 100 students.
but this plan does so much more than add space. It modernizes the science labs and career and tech ed spaces that are high school, add secure entries and safety and allows the district to just continue to invest in all of our programs and elevate education. So, yeah, it would be a really positive thing for to be able to offer that four-year-old program space in the school where those kids are gonna go directly to kindergarten. I’ve been a principal in a building where that happens. The kids have a ton of success and investing in our youngest learners is always, in my view, the greatest return on investment. – Anders Hill Houghton and Portage township
voters will vote on the Houghton Portage Township school bond extension proposal on Tuesday. Voters taking the opportunity to vote early will also see the issue on the ballot.
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