School Board made right choice toward a sound district

          There is no dispute that Hamtramck’s public school buildings need massive repairs.

          The schools are old and haven’t had needed upgrades in years. On Wednesday, the School Board took a step to fix that. The board unanimously agreed to ask voters to approve a tax millage for the next 10 years that will produce about $7 million over that course of time.

          That’s approximately $700,000 a year – at least.

          On May 6, Hamtramck voters will be asked to support that tax. You’ll be hearing more about this in the coming months, but let us say upfront that it’s a tax that needs to be passed.

          We cannot afford to allow our school buildings to crumble. For those with a house that has a taxable value of $20,000 it’s just a few more dollars a year. There’s a payoff to homeowners though. By the time the district is done making improvements this will mean all of our housing values will increase.

          A modern school district equals a solid community.

          It’s also a worthy investment because the public schools have proven they are doing the best job compared to the numerous charter schools in operation here.

          There are two winners in this proposal: students and homeowners.