Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Voters in the Brighton, Linden, Morrice and Ingham Intermediate school districts will go to the polls Tuesday to decide bond and millage proposals.

In Brighton, former school board member John Conely opposes the district's $156 million bond request, which he argues, would be a massive tax hike on property owners.

"It is a 4-mill tax increase," he told WHMI News. "The Brighton Area Schools' accounting firm, on their letterhead, tax millage study of 4-mills, $156,285,000. So, that's how they're classifying it. Brighton Area Schools said it's a 1-mill increase. Their financial arm told the school system this is a 4-mill tax."

Both Brighton Superintendent Matt Outlaw and Board President Roger Myers outlined the district's case on WHMI's "Meet the People" podcast, saying the proposal grew out of years of planning that continued after the district’s most recent bond proposal, which voters approved in 2019.

“We constantly monitor our facilities, our operations,” Myers said, adding that the board, administration and consultants reviewed infrastructure, safety and programming needs over time to shape the package now before voters.

The proposal calls for a new access road behind Maltby Intermediate and Hornung Elementary to alleviate congestion at the intersection of Brighton and Bauer roads, as well as other access improvements at Hilton and Spencer elementary schools; significant security upgrades districtwide, along with new security vestibules at Hornung and Spencer; improvements to the science room at Brighton High School and enhanced performing arts space at the Brighton Center for Performing Arts; new classrooms, offices and parent-teacher meeting rooms across the district, including a new after-school space for latchkey children at Hornung; and a central kitchen intended to serve schools districtwide while eliminating the need for duplicate kitchens. The district has said meals would continue to be prepared from scratch.

Outlaw said the proposed improvements reflect the district’s reputation, which he said is rooted in “commitment to excellence from everyone, starting with the students and the staff and our parents.”

“Our secret sauce in this district is that everyone rolls up their sleeves and gets to work,” said Outlaw, who described himself as a “proud Brighton graduate.” “We have hard working, dedicated students, but our staff is absolutely fabulous. We have great principals. The other part that's a real secret here in Brighton is that our parents are awesome. They're very committed, very dedicated to raising their children, and they're great partners with us with education.”

Conely still argues the district does not need the money.

"The annual budget is $149 million, plus or minus a million or two. It has a shared service income of $45 million a year that come in as additional revenue to the school," he says.

"They just received a $450 per student increase, give or take a few dollars, which is a huge lump of money. About $4.5 to $5 million. That's every year. They have $22 million in their fund equity account. They pulled out $9.5 million in cash to go into a service account to do maintenance. I think they just put $3 or $4 million into the football fields."

Linden Community Schools is seeking 1.1760 mills for 10 years, amounting to $1.2 million to create a sinking fund for the purchase of real estate for sites for construction or repair of school buildings; security improvements; acquisition or upgrading of technology; student transportation vehicles; parts, supplies, and equipment used for the maintenance of student transportation vehicles; for the acquisition of eligible trucks and vans used to carry parts, and all other purposes authorized by law.

Ingham Intermediate School District is asking to borrow $99.9 million and issue its general obligation unlimited tax bonds therefor, for erecting, furnishing, and equipping a new center-based special education school building; remodeling, erecting additions to, furnishing and refurnishing, and equipping and reequipping existing center-based special education and related school buildings and facilities; acquiring and installing instructional technology and instructional technology equipment for special education school buildings; and acquiring, preparing, equipping, developing, and improving playgrounds, parking areas, driveways and sites.

Morrice Area Schools is asking voters to approve a 10-year Operating Millage not to exceed 18 mills on all property, except principal residence and other property exempted by law. If approved and 18 mills are levied in 2027, total revenue is estimated at $497,638.

Complete ballot information is linked below, along with WHMI's previous reporting on the Brighton Area School's bond proposal.