KALAMAZOO, MI -- While one county commissioner is encouraging a no vote, most school districts are in support of a new property tax that would raise about $165 million over 20 years for career and technical education programs in Kalamazoo County.
The boards at Kalamazoo and Comstock public schools have formally approved resolutions encouraging their district residents to vote in favor of a new, 1-mill property tax levy to pay for an expansion of Kalamazoo Regional Education Service Agency’s career and technical education program.
Other districts have informally voiced their support or have chosen to remain neutral on the issue. While there is no vocal, organized opposition, Republican Kalamazoo County Commissioner John Gisler of Scotts said he is “dead set against” the tax request because of what he sees as a lack of detail in how the money would be spent.
If approved on the Nov. 5 ballot, the 1-mill levy would be expected to raise $8.3 million a year. The new tax would cost the owner of a house valued at $150,000 about $75 per year.
Though property values fluctuate, rough estimates place the total amount of money raised by the millage over a 20-year period at about $165 million.
KRESA’s proposal would centralize programs and expand offerings for K-12 students. It recommends a new system including a countywide Career Center and smaller satellite campuses.
Gisler said though he supports improving the county’s career and technical education programs, he opposes the specific request going to the voters because the ballot language is “vague” and offers “no detail on how this huge amount of money is to be spent. (See below for the complete ballot language)
“I am a strong believer in career and technical education, but this is not the way to go about it. I encourage all citizens of Kalamazoo County to vote ‘no’ on the KRESA millage," said Gisler, who is one of two Republicans on the county board.
Currently, residents living inside any of the KRESA school districts already pay a 1.5-mill tax, which supplements state funding to the public schools. Renewed most recently in 2017, the three-year millage will generate an estimated $12.4 million, distributed at a rate of $364 per student to each of the nine districts.
KRESA also levies a 4.3934-mill tax to support special education programs, a 0.1444-mill general education tax and an additional debt retirement levy, levied at 0.365 mills in 2018.
According to a KRESA report on career and technical education, the majority of jobs in the United States require a one-year certificate or two-year degree rather than bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Employers currently do not have enough skilled workers to fill jobs in the region, the report said.
The Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education voted to approve a resolution in support of the millage at a meeting Thursday, Oct. 10.
According to the resolution, the millage would benefit KPS students by providing more apprenticeships, work-based learning and career coaches, increase the number of students who can participate by providing transportation, providing state-of-the-art technology and equipment “to prepare students for high-demand, high-skill and high-wage careers.
“Centralized career and technical education programs provide the economy of scale that improves the quality, accessibility and affordability of such programs,” the resolution said. “Strong career and technical education programs strengthen the economic vitality of a region, offering students improved opportunities for life-long employability in our community.”
Board Vice President Ken Greschak said the millage was an opportunity for the Kalamazoo community to “raise the bar higher” for career and technical education in the region.
“Our community supports education,” Greschak said. “This is an opportunity for us to rally around our children one more time and give them the resources they need to be successful.”
Residents living in the KPS district approved the school’s largest bond in its history to fund building renovations, updated security and other district improvements. The $96.7 million bond was approved in May 2018 with about 70% voter approval.
Voters in Schoolcraft will cast ballots on both the county-wide millage and a $40 million bond to fund the construction of a new elementary school in their district. Board of Education President Jennifer Gottschalk said the board isn’t publicizing any opinions on the KRESA millage but is instead “hyper-focused” on their own district’s bond request.
“Having more than one proposal on a ballot happens often with elections, and we understand that,” Gottschalk said. “That’s why our number-one goal is to help Schoolcraft voters learn about our local request, so they have the information they need when they vote.”
Randy VanAntwerp, Portage Public Schools board president, said “typically our board does not pass resolutions in support of millage requests that do not directly benefit the district financially.”
VanAntwerp said the district is circulating information about KRESA’s millage to “create awareness of this opportunity to deliver enhanced career and technical education" and that the board “recognizes the value" of that education.
The board did formally support the district’s own Building and Site Fund renewal proposal that will go to the Portage voters on the Nov. 5 ballot, VanAntwerp said. The 0.5-mill tax, which would run from 2020 to 2024, is used for the purchase of real estate and construction of school buildings.
In 2015, Portage voters approved $144 million in bonds to fund construction of new schools and athletic facilities. Plans are also in the works in Portage to request money from voters to replace five elementary schools in the district.
Jeff Thoenes, superintendent at Comstock Public Schools, said the Comstock board passed a resolution of support for the KRESA millage in September. In the May 2019 election, Comstock voters approved a 10-year, 1-mill sinking fund tax to pay for school infrastructure improvements.
Skip Knowles, Vicksburg Community Schools board president, said the Vicksburg board is also fully in support of KRESA’s millage. The Vicksburg board especially appreciates that the plan includes introduction to careers at an earlier age for students, he said.
“We all think it’s a good thing," Knowles said.
Board presidents from Parchment School District and Climax-Scotts Community Schools also said their boards were in support of the millage. Leaders from Gull Lake and Galesburg-Augusta schools did not respond to requests for comment on the millage.
Campbell said KRESA and the nine schools districts have been in conversation for two years about the need for expanded programming. In the months leading up the election, Campbell presented to individual school boards and other organizations to explain what the millage would fund.
“I’m sensing good support,” Campbell said. "It’s a complicated topic. That’s the purpose of going and presenting.”
In addition to the tax request going to voters in November, KRESA is also seeking a private donations to fund the construction of a career center, Campbell said. Talks are ongoing with area business and community leaders about the potential donation, he said.
Gisler’s issue with the millage stems from what he said is not enough detail on specifics like where a career center would be located and exactly what the tax would fund.
KRESA should have waited to “iron out the details” first before coming to the voters, Gisler said. The commissioner said at best, the millage is “very premature” and “at worst, itʼs a huge money grab relying on the good citizens of Kalamazoo County to blindly support education.”
“I support career and technical education in a big way,” Gisler said. “Kalamazoo County really needs it. I don’t question that a bit, but I want to see some details.”
Gisler said he couldn’t say whether he would support a similar millage request if it contained more details on how the funds would be used.
Educational leaders will rely on the public’s trust when asking for more funds, Gisler said, but voters deserve more information before approving that amount of money.
“They need to put a little more meat on the bone," Gisler said. "You can’t just say, ‘Give us money, and we’ll do good things.’”
When asked if he has faced much opposition, Campbell said he’s “received good questions” from board members and other local leaders, including Gisler. Campbell described conversations with Gisler about the millage as a “healthy and good dialogue.”
Campbell said Gisler’s opposition “comes down to the ballot language." Campbell said he agreed with Gisler that the ballot language was vague but that it followed the legal requirements for career and technical education millage requests and that he was advised to offer specifics on other forms of literature.
Campbell advised people to visit the KRESA website for explanation of what the ballot language means and for more specifics on what the millage would fund, including career readiness coaches, transportation, technology and career planning services.
The ballot language for the KRESA millage is as follows:
“Shall Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency, Michigan, come under sections 681 to 690 of the Revised School Code, as amended, and establish an area career and technical education program, which is designed to encourage the operation of area career and technical education programs, if the annual property tax levied for this purpose is limited to 1 mill ($1.00 on each $1,000 of taxable valuation) for a period of 20 years, 2020 to 2039, inclusive; the estimate of the revenue the intermediate school district will collect if the millage is approved and levied in 2020 is approximately $8,264,827 from local property taxes authorized herein?”
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