Supporting our schools will take more effort

This week, the Hamtramck Public School District’s Board of Education decided to try again for the renewal of its “sinking fund” millage.
Last week, voters crushed the request by a 2-to-1 margin.
The board is now shooting for a do-over in the November General Election.
The millage renewal is relatively small — 3 mills – compared to those that other cities and public school districts depend on to provide services.
This school millage raises $760,000 a year, and is earmarked exclusively for repairing and updating buildings, making security improvements, and updating technology, primarily.
It’s been clear, for some time, that there is a sizeable number of voters in this city who will reject any millage renewal. A former school boardmember, Nasr Hussain, has been leading the crusade against taxes.
Not only that, the millage request comes at a time when a number of homeowners are complaining about how high their property tax bills have become.
These are the same folks who purchase houses here in town for $200,000 and up, and for some reason can’t draw the connection that the more you pay for a house, the more you will pay in property taxes.
Going hand-in-hand with all this is that there has been no help for parents whose children go to public schools. Folks, if you want your schools to survive and flourish, there has to be a grassroots effort for the millage’s success. Getting tax millages passed requires hard work.
That’s how past millages have been passed here in town in the past, and it’s a formula that works.
Get organized folks and support our public school district.
Posted Aug. 18, 2023