Say YES for SLCS

07/23/2026

We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! As the calendar begins to turn our attention toward the back-to-school rush, here are couple of items to have on the radar and consider for the new year ahead!

07/16/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions we’ve heard is that this proposal is “just another tax increase” without a purpose. A recent CBS Detroit story confirms the information we’ve been trying to disseminate and the misinformation we’ve been trying to correct.

The CBS Detroit report highlights several important facts (article in the comments):

✅ This is a countywide Regional Enhancement Millage, not an individual school district tax. If approved, every public school district and eligible public charter school in Oakland County would receive funding based on student enrollment - not on property wealth.

✅ The funding is estimated at about $781 per student each year for six years. That gives local school boards flexibility to address the needs of their own communities.

✅ Since Proposal A, this is the only mechanism available for local districts to increase per-pupil operating revenue. Bond and sinking fund dollars cannot be used for day-to-day operating expenses like teacher salaries or classroom programs.

✅ The article explains why districts are asking now: school operating costs have risen faster than state funding because of inflation, making it increasingly difficult to maintain competitive salaries, reasonable class sizes, and student support services.

This isn’t about one district getting a special advantage. It’s about giving every public school district in Oakland County access to the same type of enhancement funding that many students in other Michigan counties already receive. In fact, approximately 44% of Michigan students already attend schools that benefit from an enhancement millage.

Whatever your position on the proposal, it’s worth making your decision based on the facts and how Michigan’s school funding system actually works - not on assumptions or misinformation.

07/15/2026

Myth: “Districts can’t use this money for teacher salaries because the millage only lasts six years.”

This is one of the most common arguments against the Oakland County Regional Enhancement Millage.

The reality? Michigan districts that already receive enhancement millage funding have been managing this successfully for years.

Take Northville Public Schools, part of Wayne RESA.

Wayne County voters approved their Regional Enhancement Millage in 2016. Instead of waiting until the last minute to see what would happen, Wayne RESA built long-term planning into the process.

- The original millage was approved in 2016.
- Voters approved a renewal in 2020, even though the new authorization didn’t begin until 2022.
- Voters approved another renewal in 2024, with that authorization not taking effect until 2028.

Why is that important?

Because districts don’t suddenly reach the end of six years wondering whether they have to lay people off.

By placing renewal proposals on the ballot years before the existing authorization expires, districts have ample time to plan budgets, negotiate contracts, adjust staffing if necessary, and prepare for whatever voters decide.

If a renewal were ever to fail, districts would still have years to responsibly reduce spending through normal budgeting, attrition, and long-range financial planning rather than abrupt layoffs.

That’s exactly what responsible financial management looks like.

School districts make long-term commitments every day. They budget around enrollment trends, state funding changes, federal grants, and economic conditions that can all change over time. Enhancement millage revenue is no different - it becomes part of a long-range financial plan, not a year-to-year gamble.

Northville’s experience demonstrates that this concern has already been addressed in the real world.

If the argument that “you can’t use temporary millage dollars for salaries” were true, Wayne County never could have used its Regional Enhancement Millage to recruit and retain educators. Instead, Wayne County has successfully renewed its enhancement millage twice, giving districts years of advance notice and financial stability.

The question isn’t whether districts can responsibly use enhancement millage dollars to support teachers and classrooms.

They already do.

07/13/2026

06/30/2026

Make sure to find this vote on the back side of your ballot!

06/15/2026

04/21/2026

SLCS would receive approximately six million dollars annually in additional operating revenue for a period of six years if the regional enhancement millage is approved.