MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI – Muskegon County voters in May will be asked to renew a regional school enhancement millage that would provide 18 districts and charter schools funds to invest in security and technology.
In 2014, voters approved the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) regional enhancement millage that is set to expire this year. Officials say this will not raise taxes since it is already in place.
If approved in the May 2 election, the tax would continue to levy 0.9831 mills, or $0.9831 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation, for the next 10 years, from 2024 to 2033. For the owner of a home valued at $200,000, that would come out to just under $100 a year in taxes, officials say.
The tax would generate approximately $5.5 million in its first year, which would be distributed based on per-pupil counts to 18 public schools and charter academies: Fruitport, Holton, Mona Shores, Montague, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights, North Muskegon, Oakridge, Orchard View, Ravenna, Reeths-Puffer, Whitehall, Muskegon Covenant Academy, Muskegon Maritime Academy, Muskegon Montessori Academy for Environmental Change, Three Oaks Academy, Timberline Academy, and the MAISD.
You can find a breakdown of how much funding each school district received in previous years on the MAISD website. The most recent breakdown from 2021 is linked here.
Each school district also has a Technology and Security Report on their school website detailing how they spent their previous funds.
Local school leaders say the renewal of this funding is vital for keeping technology and security infrastructure up to date in Muskegon County’s schools, which support approximately 26,000 students.
Recent incidents at schools across the country have proven how important it is to invest in school safety, said Fruitport Superintendent Jason Kennedy.
“We know that learners do not learn at the highest levels if they do not feel safe. If the basic needs are not met, learning does not take place,” Kennedy told MLive/The Muskegon Chronicle. “So, when we think about the importance of safety and security, we must recognize that continued investments in improved infrastructure, in improved safety and security, are going to lead to learning at the highest levels.”
Each school district determines it will use the funding from the regional school enhancement millage.
For example, Fruitport has previously used some of its funding for security upgrades like purchasing new security cameras and boosting the district’s wireless infrastructure to make sure Fruitport’s surveillance systems are up-to-date, Kennedy said.
At Mona Shores, the funding has been used to hire two school resource officers from the Norton Shores Police Department, which Superintendent Bill O’Brien said not only provides added security but also helps build relationships with students.
“They are an integral part of every school day,” O’Brien said. “They’re in the cafeteria, having lunch with kids. They’re building this proactive relationship and kind of changing the kid’s perspective of what a police officer is or has to be, really expanding that role.”
One of the benefits of having a regional school enhancement millage, versus having each district seek its own separate millage for security funding, is that Muskegon area schools have been able to develop a countywide emergency operations plan in conjunction with local law enforcement, Kennedy explained.
That way, if there is a school emergency in Muskegon County, each school district has a unified and cohesive response plan, allowing law enforcement agencies to respond more effectively in an emergency situation, Kennedy said.
“Because we’re coming at this from a regional approach, where all local school districts are involved because of the regional enhancement millage, it really allows us to leverage these strong partnerships as not just one school district, but all school districts in the county, developing a plan that although is unique to each individual school district, but yet is still in a strong partnership with local law enforcement officials,” he said.
On the technology side, the regional enhancement millage has helped districts upgrade their technology infrastructure and purchase enough devices for a “one-to-one” system, where every student has access to a device to enhance their learning.
That funding proved to be especially vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools had to quickly pivot to online learning and every student needed a device to continue learning from home, Kennedy said.
“Had the millage not been in place, Fruitport would have been in a tough position, in that we would have had to find the funding somewhere to support resources for teaching and learning,” he said.
Technology upgrades are also important for increasing digital literacy, which is especially important for today’s job market, which requires high school graduates to have a strong sense in digital literacy, Kennedy explained.
Voters can learn more about the regional enhancement millage by contacting their local district superintendent, or by contacting MAISD Superintendent Randy Lindquist by email rlindqui@muskegonisd.org or by phone 231-767-7229.
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