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Breitung schools seeks new levy

KINGSFORD HIGH SCHOOL students Ben Anderson and Allen Linn work on assignments in CAD class. (Theresa Proudfit/ Daily News photo)

KINGSFORD — Breitung Township Schools voters will decide Nov. 7 whether to allow the district a tax increase for such improvements as upgrading technology or making building renovations and construction.

The sinking fund ballot measure seeks up to .9 mills, or 90 cents for each $1,000 of taxable valuation, annually from 2018 to 2027. The millage, if approved, would generate an estimated $375,666 in 2018.

The new sinking fund would add $45 a year, or $3.75 a month, to the school’s share of the property tax bill on a $100,000 home with a taxable value of $50,000.

A sinking fund can be spent on acquiring or upgrading technology, for school security improvements, construction or repair of school buildings and purchase land for school sites. It can’t be used for salaries or benefits, regular maintenance and day-to-day operations, Superintendent Craig Allen said.

“The sinking fund is used for things needed above and beyond the basic needs,” Allen said.

More than 170 Michigan school districts have established sinking funds separate from operating funds, which usually come through non-homestead property millage of 18 mills and the per-pupil state payments, Allen said.

“We have the lowest base for foundation and we want to do more to bring our students into 21st century learning. By upgrading and focusing on facilities, we can do a lot for not only the students, but the community,” Allen said.

Administrators have suggested the sinking funds could be used to upgrade the auditorium by modernizing the lighting and sound, improve bathroom facilities, expand the child care program to include infant care, and replace older equipment in the food service department. Other options include paving the new exit or making it easier to drop off and pickup students at the middle school.

Kingsford High School Assistant Principal Doug Roberts said the parking lot regularly is half-filled with vehicles no matter what the time of day.

“We never shut down — it’s constant activity. And with that use is the need for maintenance and upkeep of the facilities. That’s what the millage will help us with, keeping up our facilities,” Roberts said.

Another idea would be to turn Camp Sanford in Dickinson County’s West Branch Township into an outdoor classroom to teach students about energy and power. There also is a need to add equipment storage space to the band room, replace old play equipment and, in general, keep the school facilities in top shape.

“With the sinking fund, a little preventative maintenance now can keep us from having to fix a big problem later on,” Allen said.

High School Principal Lyle Smithson also sees needs for industrial lab and STEM classroom space. “These are two separate career pathways that are growing … jobs in robotics and Computer-Aided Design are ones you can get right out of high school, so we need to make improvements with both software and hardware,” Smithson said.

Technology information specialist Justin Cowen mentioned creating more areas where students can work in groups. “These are skills kids need to learn, group collaboration. We need different kinds of projectors that work well with group learning and other ways to make technology more usable in these situations,” he said.

Other advantages to a sinking fund include not having to pay interest or to having someone sell bonds, Allen said. “You get a 100 percent bang for the buck when money is raised this way,” he said.

He also pointed out the debt retirement millage — now at 4 mills and set to increase by 4.66 mills in 2018 — will go down to 2.55 mills by 2019, to 2.49 in the summer of 2020 and to .9 mills in the summer of 2021.

“There is a pride that the community has in the district, and by maintaining the schools we will continue to be a hub for the area. There are so many different activities that draw people to the school every year,” Allen said.

This is the third time the district has turned to voters for a sinking fund millage. In August 2014, a requested for .7 mills for 10 years failed, 652 yes to 817 no.

In November 2013, during the general election, voters did renew 18 mills for non-homestead property for 20 years. But a second proposal for a sinking fund millage of up to .65 mills for 10 years was defeated, with 578 yes to 633 no.

KMS Principal Dave Holmes views the sinking fund as a way to plan for the future.

“It’s a balancing act,” Holmes said, “where you need to address something at the right time and spend smartly.”

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