By Genine Hopkins
With many Michiganders on board to end property taxes in the midterms next year, it would be prudent to go over the upcoming Harrison Community Schools’ request for a Millage approval in two weeks on November 4th. What it is NOT is an increase in your millage, just a request, per the law, to keep the millage at the current amount 3.3 mils. It maintains the current amount. The Millage does NOT pay teacher, administrator, or staffing salaries. It does not pay for classroom materials including textbooks. It does not go to general operating costs, like utilities.
You might ask, “But doesn’t the State of Michigan already provide funding for public schools?” and yes, you would be right, they do provide funding for all those things the millage does NOT pay for like the textbooks, salaries, utilities. But the per pupil, SOM funds cannot be used at all toward facilities and infrastructure. That is what the millage is for and why it is needed.
Some of the items that will be paid for out of the millage include replacing the poles, lights, and sound system on the Hornet athletic field, improve parking areas for all school buildings, remodel school buildings and update classrooms at Hillside, renovate the kitchen at Hillside and the cafeteria at the Middle School, renovate bus and parent drop off area at Larson/Hillside, promote safe walking area with new sidewalk on campus area, extend sidewalk to Spruce Street, install roof ladder gate at Hillside Elementary, complete Hornet Drive at Middle School, improve storm sewer at loading dock at Hillside, update bathrooms at Hillside, among others listed on the flyer sent home to parents. Buildings need maintenance and repair and that is what the millage request will continue to do for HCS and the families they serve.
Superintendent Judy Walton has urged people to vote YES on the millage request to help the district keep its buildings in working order and safe for all.
