A Brief Version of the Case for the Millage
The basic case for the enhancement millage renewal is simple.
If Kalamazoo County voters approve this millage renewal, their tax rates will be unchanged. The nine local school districts will continue to receive about $335 per student per year from the millage for the next 3 years, the length of this millage renewal.
If voters vote down the millage renewal, their property taxes will decline modestly. For the owner of a typical $120,000 home, annual property taxes will decrease by $90 per year. But school districts will lose $11 million in annual revenue countywide The loss in annual revenue for Kalamazoo Public Schools would be about $3.8 million. These losses in annual revenue for local school districts are approximately 4% of school district operating budgets.
The loss of millions of dollars in annual revenue will lead to large budget cuts. Because local school districts have already made significant cuts in budgets over recent years, these additional budget cuts will unavoidably have some adverse effects on the quality of real services to students.
For example, Kalamazoo Public Schools has already made net budget cuts since 1999 of $17 million. An additional budget cut of millions of dollars will inevitably have a negative effect on the quality of education for many students.
Therefore, Kalamazoo County voters face a choice about what levels of taxes and public services they want. A Yes vote maintains current taxes and educational services. A No vote lowers taxes modestly, but at a large cost in the quality of services to students.