|
 Ann
Arbor Voters Approve Tax to Fund Special Education
Voters in 10 school districts around Ann Arbor, Mich.,
approved a measure to hike property taxes to fund special
education. The Washtenaw Intermediate School District will use
the estimated $12.5 million in new revenues to pay a bigger
slice of each member district's special-education costs.
by Ann Schimke, Ann Arbor News, September 15, 2004
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Voters in 10
Washtenaw County school districts passed a new 1-mill property
tax for special education by a 2-to-1 ratio Tuesday.
The outcome prompted applause and cheers from about three dozen
supporters who gathered at the Washtenaw Intermediate School
District building in Scio Township to hear the results.
Results from Ann Arbor, where almost 75 percent of voters
supported the millage, came in just before 10 p.m. and clinched
the levy's passage. Upon hearing those numbers announced, WISD
Superintendent Bill Miller hugged Ann Arbor school board member
Glenn Nelson and the district's teachers union president Linda
Carter.
"We're very grateful to the voters," Miller said. "We were able
to get our message out there that this funding was needed and
needed now."
The overall vote was 11,195 to 5,817.
Milan, which generated 464 yes votes and 487 no votes, was the
only district where the millage did not win majority support.
Less than 8 percent of all registered voters in the 10 Washtenaw
County school districts cast ballots Tuesday.
The WISD, which provides special education and other services to
schools, will collect the proceeds of the seven-year levy and
distribute the money to its 10 member districts as well as to
its own programs at High Point School and 12 other locations
around the county. The new tax, which will generate about $12.5
million this year, will be included in residents' winter
property tax bill.
Bruce and Paula Karnopp, who voted at Ann Arbor's Clague Middle
School on Tuesday evening, said they supported the millage in
part because they were pleased with their son's experience at
High Point when he attended the school for students with
moderate to severe disabilities. Paula Karnopp said the public
schools aren't able run such programs and need the help of
intermediate school districts like WISD.
Although the revenue from the new tax is earmarked for special
education, the millage may benefit general education students
just as much or more. That's because special education services
are mandated by law and cannot be eliminated if there isn't
enough federal, state or WISD special education funding. School
officials must pay for those services somehow, and with most
districts facing tight budgets and diminishing reserve funds,
that can mean cuts that affect general education students.
Administrators say the extra money generated by the new millage
will allow WISD to pay a greater proportion of each member
district's special education costs, which are growing about 7
percent a year. WISD paid 67 percent of each district's special
education costs last year after state and federal funds were
used and will now pay 80 percent.
For all 10 member districts, that higher reimbursement rate
means they won't have to use as much money from their general
operating budgets to cover special education services. For
example, Ann Arbor will get $2.2 million more, Ypsilanti $1.3
million more and Saline $670,000 more than they did last year
from WISD's special education fund. How each district plans to
spend its newly freed-up operating money varies.
Acknowledging that some parents aren't happy with the status quo
in special education, Ann Arbor Superintendent George Fornero
said administrators may look at beefing up special education
services after a review of those programs this year. He also
said the district wants to use some of the money to improve
district programming beneficial to all students.
In Ypsilanti, where a dramatic enrollment decrease could mean a
loss of $3 million in state funding, Superintendent David Zuhlke
said the additional millage money will help ease the impact of
that potential loss.
"We're just very thankful that our community has given us this
gift. ... This really comes at a particularly good time," he
said.
Saline Superintendent Sam Sinicropi, who learned the millage had
passed when he answered his cell phone during the closed session
of a school board meeting Tuesday, said his district may use
some of the $670,000 to pay expenses that would have been paid
out of the district's cash reserves this year. He said he also
plans to ask his administrative team to look at whether any
recent cuts should be reconsidered.
Ann Arbor parent Sara Meingast, who took her 18-month-old son
Thel with her to the polls at Tappan Middle School on Tuesday
afternoon, said she voted in favor of the millage because she
believes it's important to support special education services.
Although Meingast's two school-age children, second- and
fourth-graders at Burns Park Elementary, receive no special
education services, she said they will benefit indirectly from
the new millage.
"The more support, financially and otherwise, we can give any of
our instructors ... I just think it makes for a better learning
environment. Everyone is happier," she said.
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