Dearborn Voters Approve Tax Renewal To Help Fund School District

DEARBORN, MI — Dearborn voters overwhelmingly approved a tax on homeowners and businesses to help fund the district, according to Wayne County unofficial vote totals.

Voters passed the measure (71% yes, 28% no) in Michigan's U.S. Presidential Primary on Tuesday night.

The operating millage on businesses and homeowners represents $41 million, or 16 percent, of the district's general fund budget, according to school officials, who said the measure is not a new tax, but a renewal of an existing tax.

The proposal renews the required 18 mills on business and other non-homestead properties. For homeowners, the proposed renewal would drop the tax by a third (from 6.17 mills to 4 mills). The district only collected 2.04 mills of that this fiscal year, school officials said.

The taxes help the district pay for everyday expenses, including staff, curriculum materials, utility bills and more, school officials said. The proposal is not a bond for building renovations or construction.

If voters had rejected the tax, Dearborn Schools would have one of the lowest per pupil revenues in Michigan and would be forced to cut spending across almost all its schools and programs, school officials said.

Without the business and other non-homestead properties tax, the district would end up with $7,891 in per-student revenue, much less than the state’s base of $9,608 in per-pupil funding, school officials said.