Supporting Special Ed Millage 'Simply the Right Thing to Do'

For third-grader , passage of the county’s special education millage renewal proposal, on the May 3 ballot, is crucial to his ability to keep up in the classroom.

Conor, 9, has a hearing impairment, and money provided by the special education millage helped pay for a “boot” that pipes his teacher’s voice straight into his hearing aid.

“Without my boot, I would get in trouble for asking the other kids what the teacher said. I would miss my homework assignments and be forced to sit next to the teacher,” Conor said before asking the Saline Area Schools Board of Education to support the millage.

After the board's meeting Tuesday, school board member Craig Hoeft looked over to Conor.

“Isn’t he great? Forget all the politics and all that stuff. He’s why we’ve got to get this passed,” said Hoeft.

On May 3, county voters will be asked to renew the .985 mill levy for seven years. The owner of a $150,000 home would continue to pay about $74 if the tax is renewed.

More than 15 percent of Saline Area Schools students—748—are receiving special education services or are under evaluation. Superintendent Scot Graden said the most common disability is speech and language impairment, for which 229 students between the ages of 1 and 26 are receiving services.

Graden said Saline was among the first districts in the region to adopt an education model that’s inclusive of students with special needs.

“Saline was a forerunner when we moved to the inclusion model years ago. We’ve embraced the idea that students with special needs are an important part of the community. We’ve been able to support these students and their families with the highest-quality special education teachers,” Graden said.

The money that comes from the county millage supports Saline’s efforts, Graden said.

According to the Washtenaw Intermediate School District, state and federal laws require school districts to provide special education services until the age of 26, but state and federal funding covers just 34 percent of the cost. The Washtenaw ISD covers about 37 percent of the costs and area school districts pick up 17 percent of the tab. Without the millage, which helps with about 12 percent of the cost, districts like Saline would shoulder a greater portion of the cost.

The Saline district is already stretching to fill a $5.9 million budget hole. Graden estimated the millage is worth $1.3 million to the district annually.

“Our $5.9 million figure is inclusive of this millage. So this millage is critical for our special education students and their families. And it’s critical for our district, financially,” Graden said.

School board member David Friese spent 20 years teaching students with special needs.

“It would be highly unconscionable for members of this community not to support this millage, having seen firsthand the wonderful things we’ve been able to do to help prepare young ladies and gentlemen for future life,” Friese said.

Board President Chuck Lesch said he was surprised to learn from Graden’s report that so many students receive special education services.

“I had no idea there were 750 students impacted. They may be the silent ones that we never see. I bet the public doesn’t know there are so many,” he said.

Board member Lisa Slawson said passing the millage amounts to the continued paying of 30 cents a day.

“This is one of those issues where you have to ask yourself, what kind of place do we want to be?” Slawson said. “This is simply the right thing to do.”