Thank You
On behalf of all the students in all nine school districts in Kalamazoo County, we first of all want to thank the voters for their support of this millage renewal.
The 57% margin for the millage reflects broad countywide support for the millage. Our preliminary analysis suggests that not only was there strong support from KPS and Portage Public Schools for this millage renewal, but that support from the rest of the county significantly increased compared to 2005. We believe this greater support throughout the county reflects greater voter awareness of how this millage provides better services to students in all county school districts.
We also want of course to thank our many Citizens for KPS volunteers and supporters. Hundreds of people worked many volunteer hours for this campaign. And it paid off. The estimated Yes margin for the KPS district was about 67%.
This millage renewal allows all nine school districts in the county to continue their forward momentum. All nine school districts in the county face the challenge of moving forward to meet society’s higher expectations of our schools. For example, all nine school districts must make sure all students can meet Michigan’s new, tougher high school graduation requirements. This millage renewal will be a great help in that effort.
KPS faces the unique opportunities and challenges of the Kalamazoo Promise. We must make sure that each and every student in our district graduates from high school with the skills they need to have the OPTION of taking full advantage of the Kalamazoo Promise. This means that each student’s skills when leaving high school must be sufficient to be successful in post-secondary education. Students may choose other options, such as the military or civilian employment, but they should have sufficient skills that successful completion of post-secondary education is a real option. The millage renewal helps continue the financial support needed for KPS to keep moving forward and improving the achievement of all our students, at all levels.
For the broader Kalamazoo community, this millage renewal means that it is realistic to talk about this community being committed to better education and skills as the route to economic success. As we have argued throughout the campaign, this is the best way for the Kalamazoo region to survive and thrive in a global economy.