Getting voters to pass school millage will be no easy task

Will the Hamtramck Public School District be able to convince voters to approval the renewal of a major property tax millage on Tuesday? That is a multi-million dollar question.

By Charles Sercombe
Is the Hamtramck Public School’s millage renewal proposal on the November ballot in trouble?
Well, if the recent past is any indication, the district will face an uphill battle in winning voter-approval. Voters have already overwhelmingly rejected two other school district millage renewals.
The millage in question is called an “Operating Millage” that would renew 18 mills on the property tax rolls for up to 10 years, and produce $2.7 million a year.
The tax does not apply to homeowners. Only commercial property owners and non-homestead homeowners (such as rental dwellings) pay this tax.
The loss of this millage would financially cripple the district if it is turned down. The school district has distributed yards sign about the millage, and there has been campaigning for it on social media by the teachers’ union.
The Hamtramck Federation of Teachers is backing the renewal for obvious reasons: their jobs are likely on the line if the district has to make deep financial cuts.
A political campaign committee called “Vote Yes for Hamtramck Kids” took a curious approach in persuading voters to approve the millage by advertising in a Dearborn-based publication called the Yemeni-American News.
The monthly newspaper is printed in both English and Arabic, and is distributed in Dearborn. It also publishes online.
A large number of HPS students speak Arabic as their first language.
The HPS District also advertises in the Dearborn-based publication for student enrollment.
If voters do turn down the proposal, the district can keep coming back to voters to win their approval.
In the meantime, the word on the social media street is not encouraging, especially when residents learned about an almost $1 million lawsuit judgment against the district, of which the district’s insurance company will cover only about $360,000.
The rest of the payment must come from the district’s own financial budget.
Former Housing Commission employee Lawrence Macks is blunt about how he views this renewal.
“This is the first time, I remember, voting ‘No’ on a school millage. But a message must be sent. Business as usual is not acceptable,” he said on a Hamtramck Facebook page.
Former Hamtramck teacher Jennifer Maloney responded to Macks’ comment, saying:
“Lawrence Macks, it’s sad and unfortunate but the leaders of the last five years can’t be trusted and didn’t spend the money appropriately.”
In a separate comment, she said: “The school board gave the superintendent a raise and an untouchable contract! She will make a million dollars for never showing up to work! The district will pay for her mess for years to come. The children and families will pay for her mess.”
Former HPS Boardmember Nasr Hussain said that the court judgment “should give the residents second thoughts about the millage renewal.”
The election is just four days away, on Nov. 5.
Posted Nov. 1, 2024